Emma Phelan - 12 Sports Athlete of the Week

JOHNSON CITY, N.Y. (WBNG) - A good point guard controls the game. They know when to push the tempo to exploit an advantage. Or to slow it down so their team can gather itself.

That feel for the game is the most important trait a point guard can have, never letting things get out of hand.

For Johnson City, sophomore Emma Phelan is their rock on the court.

“It feels very safe knowing that there’s someone that knows how to take care of the ball. That knows what to do with the ball and can get it in the hands of someone, even if she’s having an off game, knows how to get the ball in the hands of someone who knows what to do,” said Johnson City junior guard Delaney Gaughan.

“It can be a challenge because it can be a lot of pressure but knowing how to handle that pressure takes a lot of leadership and being that leader really feels like a good role to have,” explained Phelan.

Emma usually leads by example. While her primary job is to distribute the ball, she’s also a knockdown shooter from outside. Whether off the dribble, or catch and shoot, the sophomore is a threat from anywhere on the court.

“She’s definitely a good shooter, that’s probably her biggest attribute. But she’s also developed a good pass, developed some control on the court, good ball handler. She can play the wing, she can play the point, she’s very versatile,” said Johnson City head coach Tim Talcott.

“It’s an adrenaline rush, it’s really cool. And I always make sure we point to our teammates after an assist because it makes them feel just as great,” said Phelan.

It’s acts of recognition like those, that show how strong the chemistry is between the players on Johnson City.

“We’ve been playing with each other for so many years now. All the way back to when we first started playing basketball. So coming into the varsity season there was already that major bond there,” described Phelan.

At the center of that connection, is the trust in their point guard.

“She’s not a leader in the sense that she’s controlling, she’s just a great teammate and knows how to work one on one with people and with us as a group. If something goes wrong she knows how to fix us and put us back together,” said Gaughan.

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