Blue Devils Dedicate Season to O'Bryan
Courtney O'Bryan's smile and spunk left an indelible mark on her teammates and coaches at Huntington High School. When the 18-year old was killed in a horrific car accident on an icy Pennsylvania highway late last month it was a devastating loss for everyone that knew and loved the Penn State freshman.
In the aftermath of the tragedy Huntington closed ranks around Ms. O'Bryan's family and it became clear just how well-regarded the teenager was. At the time of her death, Ms. O'Bryan was traveling to Buffalo with fellow Penn State students to raise money for pediatric cancer research.
Huntington girls' basketball coach Mike Kaplan has announced that the program is retiring Ms. O'Bryan's No. 11 as a lasting tribute to her. During her years at Huntington High School, Ms. O'Bryan became an integral member of the Blue Devil soccer and basketball teams.
"The coaching staff and the players decided that we were going to dedicate this season to Courtney," Mr. Kaplan said. "We wanted to have 'OB' with us in every game so we decided to put her initials on our shooting shirts. We felt this was a good way for our current players and future players to always remember such a wonderful athlete and individual."
Prior to last week's home game against Smithtown West, Huntington players donned the new shooting jerseys emblazoned with Ms. O'Bryan's initials and wore them proudly. The Blue Devils went on to top the Bulls, 33-29.