Out of her shell, McReynolds growing into an integral part of Gig Harbor’s 2018-19 squad

It was never going to be easy for the Gig Harbor High School girls basketball team to replace Maddie Willett.

After all, Willett was a four-year starter for the Tides, leading Gig Harbor to a state championship in her senior season, alongside current Tides’ senior Brynna Maxwell. Willett, who is currently a solid contributor already as a freshman at Cal Poly, combined scoring, rebounding and defensive ability and was one of the best players to ever come through the program.

So no, it wasn’t realistic to expect Gig Harbor to entirely place that production. But one player who has stepped up in Willett’s absence is junior forward Tate McReynolds. Any time Gig Harbor needed a big play in its 68-67 loss to North Thurston on Dec. 14, McReynolds stepped up. Whether it was a crucial rebound, an outside jumper, a baseline floater or an assist, McReynolds seemed to do it all for the Tides, scoring 13 points for the Tides.

“She stepped up big time, was poised and confident and played how she’s capable of playing and what she’s able to give us,” said Gig Harbor coach Megan Murray. “I hope she continues to play with that confidence and bring that energy. She rebounded well, too. Defensively, she just has an extra fight about her.”

While McReynolds was a role player for the Tides last year, she has elevated her game during the offseason to become an integral part of Gig Harbor’s squad this year, which has posted a 4-2 overall record, with a 2-1 mark in the Class 3A South Sound Conference.

“I’m getting there,” she said. “I worked a lot on my shot in the offseason. I got in as much as I can. I got faster. I finally grew to my size, so I’m getting more comfortable in that. With help position on defense, I’ve just worked on understanding where to be and when and then getting big and boxing out.”

McReynolds is averaging 5.4 points and 3 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game. She’s also shooting 41 percent from the floor for the Tides. And at 5-foot-11, McReynolds is able to fill a similar role as Willett on the floor.

“You can never replace Maddie, but at the start of the season, we all knew we were going to have to get bigger and get more boards and just replace her scoring. We just all worked harder. As a taller girl, just getting to the boards is important for our team.”

Murray said McReynolds has “broken out of her shell” this season for Gig Harbor.

“She’s got experience from being in the mix on varsity last year,” Murray said. “She just has been working really, really hard in practice and has just been focused. You knew the time was coming.”

Murray said the biggest area of growth has simply been confidence. Generally, the leap high school athletes take between their sophomore and junior years is noticeable. That was the case for McReynolds.

“She knows what I need from her, what I expect from her and what I want from her,” Murray said. “So it’s just her not playing hesitant and just going, knowing that if you make a mistake, it’s OK. Just keep playing through it. She’s very capable. She’s got some nice strong qualities about her that I’d like to see more on a daily basis.”

McReynolds said that newfound confidence has come from her teammates, who have encouraged her to be more active this year.

“All my teammates have helped me out and told me to shoot it,” McReynolds said. “And just getting to the basket, playing with them for another year, we’ve got more chemistry. My team has helped me with that.”