By Jimmy Allinder
It’s going to be a different Casey Filiault when the guard for the Monroe Township High School girls’ basketball team steps on the court this season.
A member of the rotation for teams that won 20-plus games the past two seasons, Filiault showed flashes of potential. However, according to head coach Leigh Vogtman, she never had to step out of her comfort zone. That was the responsibility of Erica Junquet in 2014-15 and Hannah Fisher and Grace Martini last year.
Those stars are graduated, and it is now Filiault’s turn to be the go-to player for the Falcons, who won the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group IV title last winter — their first in program history.
“It was evident Casey was a talented player when she was a freshman,” Vogtman said. “She didn’t play much that year but assumed a more important role in a lot of big games her sophomore and junior years. Now that she’s a senior and in a leadership role, I’m confident Casey will help us accomplish our goals.”
Because of the Falcons’ whirlwind transition up and down the court — a staple of their success — Vogtman utilizes multiple players at every position throughout the game. That includes the guards rotating in and out.
Each have to be fundamentally sound dribbling, passing and making steals, and they must be willing to expend every ounce of energy when they’re on the court. Because she learned early on that’s how Monroe plays, Filiault earned increased minutes and played with amazing consistency.
As a sophomore, Filiault scored 7.4 points per game, sank 23 shots from the 3-point arc and registered 40 assists. Filiault’s tenacious defense enabled her to make 23 steals. On defense, she showed tenacity and made 23 steals.
The following year was a carbon copy when she averaged 7.2 points per game with 22 3-pointers, another 40 assists and 20 more steals.
With Monroe’s top scorers gone due to graduation, Filiault will be counted on for more point production, and she accepts that responsibility.
Filiault’s favorite memory in a Falcons’ uniform came last year — which was also the program’s finest moment — when it won the sectional crown.
“A couple of hours before the game [against Hunterdon Central Regional High School], I was lying on a table getting an MRI of my left hamstring because the pain kept me out of two games and it wasn’t getting better,” she said. “It was only after I begged the doctor to let me play that I was allowed back on the court, but only for a half.”
Filiault entered the game in the second quarter and played through what she described as agonizing pain. As Vogtman addressed the team during halftime, Filiault was back on the table, where trainer Nate Cogdill stretched the hamstring, leading to more pain.
Before the second half resumed, however, Filiault resolved she would not allow the temporary discomfort prevent her from helping her team win the game.
When the third quarter commenced with adrenaline pumping in her veins, Filiault played with purpose, making passes, shots and playing her patented defense that helped Monroe prevail, 48-35.
Filiault said her parents, Elysa and Scott, have had a major impact in her life, in addition to older sister, Ilana, and grandmother, Nanete Koppel. She has been mentored by many coaches throughout her career, but she named Nick Dipillo — a former AAU coach who is now director of player development at Seton Hall University — Vogtman and her assistant coaches, Keith Hudak and Sean Field, for their dedication in helping her grow as a player and person.
With the season opener Dec. 16 at John P. Stevens High School still a few weeks away, Filiault had been able to reflect back on her basketball career and what she plans after graduation from Monroe. A solid student, Filiault maintains an 89 average and will head to Kean University to play for the Cougars while pursuing a degree in physical education and a minor in coaching.
“I have been very fortunate to play the last three years with amazing athletes who helped us win championships,” Filiault said. “What sticks out most was the importance of playing together and that being a good teammate means sharing what you learned with underclassmen.”
Filiault recalled when she was a freshman and how Junquet, then a junior, took her under her wing and demonstrated how to be creative with her passing.
“I learned that effective passes lead to baskets, and it helped my game tremendously,” she said. “That’s what I plan on teaching to the younger players just like Erica did with me.”
