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Tyreese Smith
Feb 15, 2022

Player Profile: Harley McGirk (Altoona, PA)

Updated: Dec 9, 2022

Name: Harley McGirk


Height: 5-10


Position: Power Forward/Small Forward


High School: Altoona (PA)


Graduation Class: 2023


AAU Club: All Day Hoops


GPA: 3.7


Status: Uncommitted


Harley McGirk is a 5-10 Forward from Altoona, Pennsylvania. She's currently a junior at Altoona Area High School and runs with All Day Hoops on the AAU circuit. McGirk reached out to me over the scholastic season and hearing her story, I was very glad she had the courage to contact me. Understanding the workhorse mentality of McGirk, who worked out two sometimes twice a day in the offseason, her development has started to show throughout her junior year. She is a stretch four with some versatility to play on the wing. Her game continues to blossom game in and game out by putting the ball on the ground, her back-to-the-basket and show her range from the outside. I know those are just words, but McGirk has started to find herself throughout her junior year and if she keeps applying herself, she'll be locked in for a huge summer. But enough of me typing this intro, let's get to know more about the Altoona prospect!

 

BREAKDOWN:


STRENGTHS

Back-to-the-basket game

  • "Standing at 5-foot-10, McGirk uses her size and length to her advantage. Investing her time into her offseason workouts last year, she has gotten a lot stronger and has developed a nice post game. Being able to score off the seal and getting better within her face up, McGirk is as smooth as they come.


Finishing in the paint

  • "McGirk usually isn't the most athletic person on the court, afraid to get physical. With improved footwork and a nice touch in the paint, the Altoona prospect knows when to take advantage of mismatches. Really intelligent scorer!"


High IQ Prospect

  • "McGirk knows how to see the floor. Scoring at different angles and areas of the court while providing crisp passing. McGirk is an unselfish prospect who always looks to make the right play no matter where she's at on the floor."


Mid Range Game

  • "What's a solid big without a mid range game? McGirk has an improved size up game from 15 feet out and is able to knock it down with confidence."


Stretching the Floor

  • "As mentioned above, McGirk is excellent with knowing her position. Using her size to an advantage while providing guard skills, McGirk is able to stretch the floor with confidence and is passionate about showcasing her versatility. Call her "Harley McThree" when you see her play."


Editor: "She is going to be either embarrassed or laugh when she reads that last sentence *laughs*."


THINGS TO IMPROVE ON

Agility

  • "McGirk isn't the most athletic person and she's sometimes at a disadvantage with her agility. If she's able to work on her agility this offseason to improve her defense and getting quicker on the court, it would be very beneficial."


Defense

  • "As mentioned above, the agility also plays a part into McGirk's defensive game. Sometimes being matched up with quicker defenses, it doesn't fair well for her. Dialing down on the defensive game this upcoming circuit will be crucial in her 17U season."


Keeping Composure

  • "McGirk is a very passionate player, but sometimes it gets her in trouble. One thing I like about the prospect is that she WANTS to improve and get better. To do anything it takes to get a bucket as she plays mad hard on the court. But her passionate energy can lead to her getting in her head. Keeping composure isn't really a skill, but it is something that a person can fix mentally. Basketball is an intense sport and I understand where McGirk is coming from as a past player at a high level. But working on keeping herself in check will help her out to mature and especially recruiting incase a coach stops by for a game."

 

Harley McGirk Interview

When did you start playing basketball?

  • "I started playing basketball in 4th grade. There were a lot of leagues that you could do from 1st-3rd grade, but I didn’t truly know if I wanted to get into the sport and started playing until 4th grade."


Describe how you are as a player from the skill standpoint?

  • "As a player, I feel like I'm very tough on both ends of the floor. Throughout the season, I've developed a lot of different moves to use when it comes to being in the post, and it’s definitely improved my game. I feel like I’m very trustworthy when coming off the bench. In hopes to make a change and do something good for the team when things aren’t going our way."


How was your junior season?

  • "My junior season had its ups and downs, good games and bad games. There were a few games towards the end of the season where I started to show a lot of growth and new strengths. When coming off the bench, I felt like I did a pretty good job with taking care of business on the court, regardless of the scoreboard."


What are your plans for spring and summer?

  • "This season I'm playing with All Day Hoops. located in my hometown Altoona, PA. We’re doing a few tournaments including a Bruins tournament in Pittsburgh in the month of April."


Meeting you over the past few months, know that you work just as hard as anybody even behind closed doors. What kinds of things are you doing to make yourself the best player you can be?

  • "I’m training constantly. I’m always using a shooting machine to improve my shot, and getting in the gym playing pickup with other players to test out some new skills and improve my skills. If I'm skipping a day of practice, it wasn’t a day well spent. I honestly cant tell you the last time I went 24 hours without picking up a basketball."


Coming from a small town in Altoona, describe growing up in Northwest Pennsylvania.

  • "Growing up in Altoona is frustrating in some ways, but has also had a huge impact on my life and the things I do in my everyday routine. The things that go on in this town is hard to comprehend and sometimes unbelievable, but aside from the negativity there is a lot of positives that come with being here. One including the amazing coaches I've gotten to work with over the years to get me where I am today."


Which athlete do you look up to the most?

  • "I definitely look up to some NBA players. Jimmy Butler has amazing court awareness and Bam Adebayo’s post skills are insane. I love how the both of them work together on and off of the court, and I love that about them. I’m always watching Bam in school when I have nothing else to do, because everything he does just amazes me."


Who do you look up to as role models?

  • "One of my role models is my best friend Minyhah Easterling from Glendale. We went to Altoona most of our life and we grew up playing on the same AAU team. I love how tough she is mentally when in a game. She’s always in a good mood and never wants to come out of the gym with a loss. She helped me grow as a post player and work on my mental toughness and physical toughness and I’m beyond grateful that she has helped me get where I am today. Another one of my role models is my cousin, Melana Eyer. Ever since COVID-19 became a thing, we partnered up and went to our court in our backyard and did things to improve our game. She pushed me to keep going when I was too sore or tired, because she knew it would be worth it in the end. She changed my work ethic and made me want to succeed even more."


Altoona has a good chance to capture the District 3 6A title this year. How do you feel about the upcoming postseason and your senior year?

  • "I’m very confident about my senior year. We’re losing 3 seniors this year, which is going to open up a lot of starting positions. I’m going to have to work hard for it in the off season and prove that I should get one of those positions. No days off!"


Do you have any words of encouragement or motivation for people?

  • "Coming from a player who sometimes doesn’t get the amount of playing time they want, your time will come. I’ve had many spurts of success come out of my last few games and it didn’t show much of the season. If you don’t have confidence in yourself, that’s going to be a downfall in games. Missing a shot, getting beaten on the defensive end, messing up plays, it’s all a part of success. You need to experience the downfalls before you reach your success. Keep working and I promise you will get what you’ve deserved!"


Media Coverage on Harley McGirk


Twitter @McgirkHarley


High School Coach Information

Chris Fleegle - Email


AAU Coach Information

Ryan Lestochi


Contact Tyreese Smith

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