SHE IS A QUIET LEADER, AND LEADS BY EXAMPLE. SHE IS NOT ONE TO BOAST OR BRAG. I AM EXCITED THAT SHE IS HERE AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT SHE CAN DO IN HER LAST YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL.” the AAU’s Lady Thrill, Maryland Lady Shooting Stars, and Lady Hurricanes to develop her skills.
Photo by Steve Buchanan Photography
While she benefited from those experiences, not playing for her high school team has weighed on her mind. She missed it in the worst way. “I haven’t played since my freshman year and it definitely has been tough and frustrating,” Eslick explains. “It will definitely be a highlight of my basketball career to play my senior year. I can’t wait to play. It will definitely be a great opportunity. It will be fun and I think it will help my game.”
TOWNE ATHLETE
Malorie Eslick
“I am very excited to have her on the team,” says Porter, who has known Eslick since her freshman year through AAU basketball. “She is a go-getter. She works very hard, is a consistent player, and I will get a motivated player. She can be an impact player.”
By Tom Worgo
The 17-year-old Eslick had a great summer playing for the Lady Thrill. She averaged 12 points, five rebounds, and four assists per game. The Glen Burnie resident also shot more than 40 percent from three-point range.
Glen Burnie High School Basketball
T
here’s a huge gap on Glen Burnie senior Malorie Eslick’s basketball resume. Eslick hasn’t been able to play for the Gophers varsity in both 2019 and 2020. Last year, the pandemic wiped out the season and the year before, she suffered a severe knee injury and missed the entire year.
For Eslick, who played on jayvee as a freshman, the lost seasons go beyond basketball. She’s been missing the high school experience of playing sports with some of her best friends. Fortunately, Eslick, a 5-foot-7 sharp shooting guard, has gotten to play the past five years for
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Glen Burnie Girls Basketball Coach Sam Porter says Eslick has definitely been missed. After all, several Division I schools, including Howard, Towson, and UMBC, have recruited Eslick aggressively and she’s a strong candidate to lead the Gophers in scoring.
What’s Up? West County | October 2021 | whatsupmag.com
“We don’t have anybody that shoots the ball as well as her,” Lady Thrill Coach Kyle Lock says. The competition Eslick has seen suiting up for the Lady Thrill this year helped her elevate her game. She faced elite opponents
in tournaments in Kentucky, Georgia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. The 25-game season runs from March to July and has gotten her noticed by college coaches. “AAU can bring you a scholarship,” Eslick says. “You can develop a chemistry with people not even on your team. You can make contacts with people in the basketball world, including coaches.” Porter hopes Eslick can be as productive this coming season as she was during her jayvee season when she led the team in scoring and averaged 15 points. “She works very hard at developing her craft,” Porter says. “She is a winner.” Glen Burnie Athletic Director Kyle Hines agrees. He considers Eslick an ideal role model for the Gophers’ young athletes because of her hard work on the basketball court and in the classroom. She carries a 4.0 grade-point average, does volunteer work at Heritage Community Church, has a lawn mowing business, and she knows what she wants to do for a career: to become a physical therapist. “She is a quiet leader, and leads by example,” Hines says. “She is not one to boast or brag. I am excited that she is here and I look forward to seeing what she can do in her last year of high school.”
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