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11/20/2008
Brittenham is already a 1,000-point scorer at St. Luke's. She has been a starter since the eighth grade.
She has started for the softball team since the seventh grade and just completed a stellar soccer career.
Brittenham was a superb goalkeeper who helped the St. Luke's girls soccer team win the Fairchester Athletic Association championship and finish with a 20-1 record after a 1-0 victory over the Wheeler School in the final of the New England Prep School Athletic Conference Class C Tournament.
Last basketball season was a tough one for Brittenham. She averaged 21 points but missed nine games because she sprained her ankle. Brittenham returned for the last three games and scored 24 points in the last game to increase her career total to 1,037.
Brittenham made the All-Fairchester Athletic Association First Team for the third straight year and was also selected to NEPSAC Class C/D West All-Scholastic Team.
The Crusaders, who had five juniors in the starting lineup, finished 6-12.
Brittenham is a heady point guard who has great court awareness and the knack for getting the ball to her teammates in the right spot at the right time.
"I'll tell you what, Rachel's the real deal," St. Luke's third-year coach Dave Finch said. "For me it's one of those sweet deals that every coach wants. She's the complete package. If we need 15 assists from her that night, she will do that for us. If we need 10 rebounds, she'll do that. She will do whatever it takes.
"She's just a true competitor who will sacrifice her own self for the good of the team at all times. The one thing about her that impresses me the most is that when she walks onto the court, every player on her team becomes better. I can't say enough about her."
Brittenham has a 3.67 GPA, made the National Honors Society and was the Physics Student of the Year at St. Luke's last year. She also received the Prize Book that the Harvard Alumni Association awarded to her junior class's outstanding student who "displays excellence in scholarship and high character, combined with achievement in other fields."
So her college options were plentiful.
"It kind of ranged from local D-3 programs to a couple D-1 programs," Brittenham said. "None of them was able to make the same offer that Wofford was able to make. Everything fit together with them.
"First and foremost, I think their academics are very strong. Especially their biology program, which is what I'm interested in. On top of that, the girls on the team and I got along very well and I like Coach (Edgar) Farmer's coaching style. I can't wait to contribute to their program."
Brittenham developed a strong basketball foundation because several New York Knicks, past and present, played major roles in her development.
Rachel's father, Greg, is in his 18th year as the Knicks' strength and conditioning coach. Rachel was a ballgirl and her older brother, Max, a ballboy when they were young. Max is one of the all-time leading scorers for the St. Luke's boys basketball program and currently the ace pitcher for the Mount St. Mary's University baseball team.
"When we were younger it was always very nice to be around the facility and everything," Rachel Brittenham said. "Some of the players I grew up around, like Patrick Ewing and Allan Houston, and even now there's Jamal Crawford and David Lee, they're all very friendly and they've always given me pointers."
"When I first came here she was three months old," Greg Brittenham said. "Through my involvement with the Knicks she rebounded balls for Patrick Ewing and she's played ball against some of the top NBA players in the country, like in pregame stuff and that sort of thing. It's been quite the experience. More than any coaching she received she's been able to watch those players. She's learned who's a team player and who's a selfish player and I think that has really molded her game. One of the fortunate things with the Knicks is it's afforded her that opportunity."
Greg Brittenham added that Rachel also received plenty of good coaching on all of her St. Luke's sports teams and on summer AAU basketball teams.
Former Trinity Catholic star Da'Shena Stevens, Trinity Catholic senior Jeana Trimboli, and former Westhill stars Jess Williams and Julie Becker were among Brittenham's teammates on some strong AAU teams.
"Obviously we are very proud of her," Luann Brittenham, Rachel's mother, said. "A lot of people assume these things just come to her, but she works very hard. She plays three sports, she's a hard worker and a team player. She's definitely willing to help any teammate in any way, shape or form. She isn't one to take all the spotlight on herself. She's always aware of everyone else and everyone helping the team to succeed."
