Eagletribune.com:
Nicole Boudreau Week continues today here in The Eagle-Tribune sports pages, several hours away from her sixth career game on the famed TD Garden parquet floor.
Win or lose tonight — the Andover High girls basketball team is the favorite against Braintree in the Eastern Mass. final — my educated guess is this won’t be the last time you see her picture or name highlighted in a story this week.
She always has a way of making news.
On Sunday, long-time Eagle-Tribune’s high school basketball writer Hector Longo knighted Boudreau as the greatest high school basketball player (yes, including boys!). Who can argue that point? She is two wins away from leading Andover to a third straight state title.
I am going to take a different tact than my colleague. I am going to call Boudreau my favorite basketball player (yes, boys included!) … ever.
In fact, I am inclined to call her my favorite “big-time” athlete in 28-plus years in this business. Whatever the price has been — $5 for adults in the regular season, $7 in the state tournament and $15 at the Garden — she has always entertained and delivered.
It’s not simply about her team’s victories, which continue to mount — 95-9 over the four years she has played.
A.B. All Eagle-Tribune fluff aside, this girl is insane.
She is not just hitting high school threes, college threes or even pro threes. She is hitting pro + 2 feet three pointers.
And this isn’t some mixtape, streetball mashup.
That is the Boston Garden Parquet, in the playoffs, going for a 3rd straight championship.
Even Boudreau’s near half-court shot was more than luck. It wasn’t an over the head heave. It was just a long distance version of her already lethal long distance 3-ball.
I had not idea Jesus Shuttleworth had a white daugher.