MaxPreps Weekly Honor Roll, presented by the United States Marine Corps: Megan Ost, Apollo Ridge

Megan Ost knew she would be relied upon to be a leader heading into her junior year after averaging 8.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game last season.

The power forward/center from Apollo Ridge (Spring Church, Pa.) has answered the call this season. She is tops on the Vikings at 15.8 points and 11.2 rebounds per game as the regular season winds down.

Ost has tallied 10 double-doubles in her team's first 18 games and has scored in double figures in all but two contests. Longtime Apollo Ridge coach Jim Callipare has been impressed with what he's witnessed this season from his star athlete.

"She's doing a little better than I thought," Callipare said. "I thought she'd have nice year and do a little bit better. But we're a young team and we're real weak at guard right now -- everybody kind of knows we want to get the ball to her, so she's seen a lot of double- and triple-teams every night. She's still doing well."
The 17-year-old Ost is a hard worker who is dedicated to continually getting better on the court. She's your typical cliché gym rat, a statement that couldn't be more true.

Callipare – who also coaches the area's middle school team -- has coached Ost since eighth grade. He's witnessed rapid progression each year working with her on the court.

"She's really come along with her skill development," Callipare said. "She's a tall girl, 6-1, 6-2 legit. She handles the ball pretty well. She shoots pretty well. She's really progressed as far as understanding where to be – trying to get herself in the right position offensively. Whether she has the ball or not, she's really wised up a lot as far as that goes."

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Ost has adjusted her mindset and become more mature as a basketball player. She used to get double- and even triple-teamed in the post, and would panic on occasion, turning the ball over. Her nerves would get the best of her, but not any longer. The upperclassman has become more equipped at handling pressure.

"I've definitely changed my perspective," Ost said. "As a sophomore, I was all like, ‘Oh, I need to score. I need to score. I need to score.' This year, I've progressed as a player where I can dish out the ball instead of trying to force something to happen."

This is Ost's second season in the starting lineup after earning a few spot starts as a freshman.

Starting at the varsity level as a 10th-grader after just one year of playing high school basketball can be a big hurdle. Ost had to face girls who were two years older, more mature and tougher on the inside. Ost needed to get physically stronger to match her opponents.

It was a difficult transition at times, but Ost is always willing to accept a challenge.

She has developed some crafty post moves over the last two seasons. Her coach said she has a nice up-and-under shot as well as a baby hook. Ost is solid with a hook from her dominant hand and is working on becoming more proficient with her left hand.

Ost plays basketball year-round. She has competed on the AAU circuit since eighth grade, playing last season with the Indiana Wild Cats. She will be playing with a new team this year, the Western Pennsylvania Bruins. Competing with the Pittsburgh-based squad will provide Ost with stronger competition, facing off against some of the nation's best players.

"AAU is a totally different game to begin with," Ost said. "It's a lot faster. It's a lot more fast break kind of stuff, there's not a lot of plays going on."

Playing with the Bruins should also give Ost exposure to higher-level college recruiting. She has received interest from smaller Division III schools, including Carnegie Mellon University, Chatham University, St. Lawrence University, Thiel University and Geneva College.

To stay in shape for basketball, Ost plays volleyball. She has been a starting middle since her sophomore year and was a captain this past fall.

Sports play an important role in Ost's life, but she knows in order to be a successful athlete she needs to be dedicated in the classroom. Education always comes first, which is something that's very important to her parents. Juggling sports and school can be tough, but Ost gets the job done.

"I'm definitely very stressed, but I make it work," said Ost, who would like to become a high school teacher. "I do science competitions and math competitions. I'm pretty school smart as well as basketball smart."

Indeed she is. Ost currently carries a 4.0 grade-point average and ranks No. 4 in her class. Half of her classes this quarter are either advanced placement or honors.

"She's organized, she's a great student," Callipare said. "She does get involved a lot of things, so she's good at managing her time and things like that."

At Apollo Ridge, Ost is involved with a number of clubs, including Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science, science and engineering fair, math league and future problem solving. She is hoping to get inducted into the National Honor Society next year.

Ost is also big into volunteering around her community. She recently started helping out once a week at the Oklahoma Volunteer Fire Department in Apollo, cleaning floors, selling tickets at fundraisers for the fire hall and working events such as bingo night.

Ost also helps teach young kids how to play basketball. She enjoys being a role model to the younger athletes.

"When I walk down the hallways (at school) and I see them, they come up and they hug me," Ost said. "When I see them at the grocery store, they're like, ‘Megan, hi.' And I go up and hug them."

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