Ranallo’s leadership helped spark Jaguars’ success

By jose negron

jnegron@yourmvi.com

During a late break in a close game, Thomas Jefferson head coach Lisa Fairman often found herself having a short conversation with senior forward Dalaney Ranallo. 

“I would commonly say to her, ‘Listen, this is huge and I need everything you have,’” Fairman stated. “She would just look at me and would be like, ‘We’ve got this, Coach.’ Things like that reassured me that she had an understanding of what I expected out of her.” 

Ranallo has always been a player Fairman has relied on. 

She can score inside, rebound with the best of them and share the ball, allowing her teammates to take advantage of offensive opportunities. 

But perhaps the most valuable thing Ranallo brings to the table is leadership.

“Dalaney is such a competitor at heart,” Fairman said of Ranallo, who averaged 8.9 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. “Not only does she lead by example on the court, she leads verbally in the locker room. She just does everything she can to help the team win and motivate them to do their best. The only thing that matters to her is the scoreboard at the end of the game.

“In a sport such as basketball, so many people put so much emphasis on points, but that’s never been what has motivated her. She just always wanted to make sure that she did her best and got the team to do its best.”

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