Danielle Racette's name isn't going to jump out at you in a traditional box score.
The Drury senior averaged 10 points per game and led her team in points in just seven games over the course of the regular season. Both relatively low numbers for a traditional MVP. That's not what earned her the title of All-Transcript girls' basketball MVP for the second straight season.
"It's impossible to get the full picture of Danielle through her point totals," said Drury coach John Franzoni. "What she does as a point guard is just make her team so much better. She is one of the most unselfish players I've coached."
It was rare to see the Blue Devils offense setting up without the ball in Racette's hands. While the play didn't always end with her putting the ball in the hoop, the offense definitely began with her.
Racette led the team in assists with 120 -- an average of six per game. That wasn't where her offensive game came to a stop, however. Her point total was good enough for second on the Blue Devils.
"As a point guard, you score when you have to," Racette said. "A lot of the time I didn't have to. We had five girls on the floor who can score every time they get a shot.
"I'm confident in all of my teammates. It's a good feeling to know I can pass the ball to anybody and it usually ends in an assist."
Fellow senior Shannon Garvey led the Blue Devils in points, averaging 12 per contest. Emily Moulton
"I wouldn't have had the numbers I had without Danielle, none of us would have," Garvey said. "Her assists are just amazing. She sees the full court so well when she has the ball. That allows her to dish the ball off really well.
"She was the quarterback of our team. Everything ran through her."
Racette was able to score when she needed to. Her season-high was 22. She did that in the first game of the season against Taconic. She scored 17 in the team's first round tournament game against South Hadley and then scored 15 in the semifinal against Wahconah.
To be successful on a team coached by Franzoni, a player to needs understand the importance of defense more than offense.
It's safe to say Racette knows how important defense is.
"Our team knows that we win off defense," the senior said. "If you play solid defense, the points will come. Defense was the most important part of the game for us."
Racette was a catalyst on one of the county's top defensive squads. The Blue Devils allowed just 34.5 points per game in the regular season. That stifling defense allowed them to earn the No. 1 seed in the Western Massachusetts tournament. It also carried Drury to its first final since 2006.
She led the team in steals. Her ability to get back on defense also helped her contribute on rebounding. She was fifth on the team in rebounds with five per game.
Whether it's offensively or defensively, the Blue Devils ran through Racette this season.
"When we're trying to push the ball, she's the one pushing the ball," Franzoni said. "When we are trying to shut a player down, she's the one doing it. When someone needs a pat on the back, she's the one that does it. It can be stated in words how important Danielle was to this team."
Racette's demeanor on the court didn't go unnoticed this season. She was selected by Berkshire County officials to receive the Oswald Tower Sportsmanship Scholarship. The team also earned the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Division II sportsmanship award.
The Western Massachusetts title game may have been her last high school game, but it wasn't her last basketball game. Racette has committed to playing basketball at Springfield College next season.
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