Apollo-Ridge grad Megan Ost determined to play key role in turning around Carlow women's basketball

When Dave Gordon took over as the Carlow women’s basketball coach after the 2021-22 season, one of the the first things he did was to look at a roster to see which players might be returning. One name in particular caught his eye: Apollo-Ridge grad Megan Ost.

The 6-foot-2 rising senior was coming off a season in which she averaged 12.2 points and 9.1 rebounds, and Gordon was eager to see her in action. More importantly, he was counting on her to help him change the culture of the program.

Gordon is the Celtics’ third coach in the past four seasons, and the team went 0-17 in the River States Conference last season, 7-23 overall. Ost is the only senior and one of the captains, and she said this group is intent on giving the program a new identity.

“I think it was a learning moment, though,” she said about last season. “Coming off a losing season definitely has inspired a lot of the girls this season to not repeat history.”

Ost said with covid restrictions eased, the team was able to put in more time doing offseason workouts. Ost was among that group, and she said she feels stronger and quicker this season, which is off to a 3-1 start for the Celtics.

And it was fortuitous that she improved her fitness because Gordon is using her in new ways.

“She has such a dominant post presence and also just a skill set about her where she can step out,” Gordon said. “She can play inside the post. She can step out and play the high post. Defensively, she can cover and switch one through five. She’s just an athlete who can impact the game in so many different fashions outside the stats.”

Ost admitted she was a bit anxious about leaving the comfort of the paint to extend her game to other areas of the floor.

“I’ve always been the person to just run block to block,” she said. “So when he came in and he was like, ‘No, I want to see you drive. I want to see you shoot outside and do a lot more than just post playing,’ I was a little apprehensive to the change.

“But, honestly, it’s been a fun experience, and I like the freedom to do more than just sit in the paint.”

Asked about her outside shot, Ost couldn’t contain a little laugh.

“It’s getting there,” she said.

With a more varied offensive repertoire, Ost is a double-double waiting to happen. She had several last season, including in the final two games of the season: 26 points and 12 rebounds against IU East, which went 14-3 in the conference, and 19/15 against city rival Point Park.

Gordon also is counting on her to lead and set an example for the other players. Gordon said Ost doesn’t say much, but she isn’t afraid to speak up when she thinks it’s necessary.

“She just wants the program to be consistent,” Gordon said. “She’s more looking out for everybody else than herself.”

Said Ost: “I’m one of the more seasoned players. A lot of the new players, the freshmen and sophomores, come to me for advice, or I’m just there to show them the ropes of how the season goes and to keep them disciplined and into practices and weightlifting and making sure they can juggle school work.”

Ost isn’t afraid to say the Celtics’ goal is to win a conference championship. That might seem like a big leap for a team that was winless last season, but, at minimum, she is confident of a winning season.

Making that kind of improvement, she hopes, can launch the program to respectability. She might not be around to see the final product, but she is determined to put her stamp on it.

“I really want to change the culture of the Carlow basketball program,” she said. “I think that we are seen as a losing team from the outside universities. And I really just want to change that and show the conference that we are not a team to mess with.”