If you glanced at the county leaderboards, Westminster’s Maddy Gassman would immediately stand out — First in the county in points, steals and assists, and second in rebounds. Gassman produced numbers few could rival.
With all eyes on her since the summer league, Gassman once again led Westminster to the county title, finishing with an impressive 19-3 record — including 11-1 in county play — and a regional finals appearance. She averaged 16.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 5.5 steals per game.
For her efforts, Westminster guard Maddy Gassman has been named the Carroll County Times girls basketball Player of the Year for the second straight season.
“She’s well deserving,” Westminster coach David Urban said. “She brings constant energy on both sides of the floor.”
But Gassman’s impact goes far beyond the scorebook and stat sheets. Reducing her contributions to numbers alone would be a disservice to the future Messiah University guard.
There was no telling exactly which version of Gassman would show up on a given night but Urban always knew his best player would do whatever the game required, delivering the winning play at the winning time, just as she had done her entire career in an Owls uniform.
“I knew she was going to be a leader,” Urban said. “We knew other teams would try to stop her, but she always found openings and identified our best options.”
At times, Urban got the sharpshooting 1,000-point scoring version of Gassman — a fearless guard who drove hard to the rim, made tough shots through contact, or created just enough separation off a screen to drain a 3-pointer. No other player in the county had a better scoring performance this season than Gassman’s 29-point outing in the season opener on Dec. 9, following that up with several 20-point scoring games.
“She prepared herself for the grind of the season in the weight room and with her conditioning,” Urban said. “She was able to handle the workload much better this season.”
When she faced double, and even triple-teams, Gassman made the adjustments that elevate a player from good to great. That’s when Urban saw Maddy the facilitator — a coach on the court making the right read followed by the right pass with the perfect amount of methodical precision.
“I knew I was going to be guarded tough and the games weren’t going to be as easy as last year,” Gassman said. “I just knew I had to do whatever it took to win and my teammates did a great job stepping up.”
Her high basketball IQ allowed Urban to use her in a variety of roles, even as a decoy — like when he drew up a game-winning shot for freshman Xaviah Burgee in Westminster’s win over Francis Scott Key.
The catalyst behind the play? Gassman, who set a screen before receiving the ball and finding Burgee for the shot.
“What we wanted to do this year was play off Maddy,” Urban said. “When we had success, it was because she led the way. The girls moved to open spaces, rotated well and Maddy controlled the floor.”
Whether she was scoring or distributing, one thing was always consistent: Gassman’s effort.
She was relentless all season, battling for rebounds against the county’s biggest and toughest players, then turning around to lock down opposing guards on defense. She jumped passing lanes with ease, collecting steals and initiating fast breaks.
“Regardless of what’s going on or how the game is going, you can always give your best effort,” Gassman said. “I definitely came into games wanting to put in a good effort defensively and have that translate to the offensive end.”
While her name will live in the record books at Westminster, it’s that tireless effort that will define her legacy. The stats speak for themselves, but it’s her intensity, leadership and basketball IQ that will leave a lasting mark on the Owls program.
“She has a ton of heart,” Urban said. “She’s a true competitor. She’s constantly focused on the floor, and she works hard. All of that will carry on to the next class. Now they have a sense of, ‘This is what our program is all about.’”
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