Senior forward Aisling Crowley will be hanging up her jersey as a Ram after a 64-59 loss to Roger Williams in the playoffs. With the wind-down from her Suffolk basketball career, Crowley has a long basketball streak to look back on.
A product of one of the most successful coaches in Massachusetts, Crowley played for Kristen McDonnell at Braintree High School. Joining the team with no sophomores in the year above her, she was distanced from her team, but close with McDonnell.
“I was very young compared to, like all the others, there were five juniors and five seniors, so I was very close to my coach. I loved playing for Kristen,” she said.
At Braintree High School, Crowley captained her senior year team through a trying time. During COVID-19, a school shutdown hindered team activities and the regular season. Morale was low during her junior and senior years: While she had been playing with many D1 recruits, she was struggling through a grueling and new territory.
“I was always around, like, really good players, but COVID kind of ruined the recruiting process for me. I really, like always, was so used to having basketball all the time, and then when COVID happened, a lot of it got canceled,” said Crowley.
In a moment without basketball, Crowley lavished in the release. For the first time since fourth grade, she was without the Amateur Athletic Union constant, and her high school team.
“I kind of had a moment where I really enjoyed not having basketball all the time, and I realized it was like normal, quote, unquote, I guess, for a second,” said Crowley.
It wasn’t until her senior night at Braintree that she realized that the short relief she got without basketball wouldn’t compare to the loss she’d feel without it. In a moment’s notice, she was contacting Ed Leyden, Suffolk’s Women’s basketball coach, and snagging the final open spot on the roster.
“He gave me a call, and he said that he had one spot left, and if I wanted it, it was mine. If I don’t like it, it’s not the end of the world,” said Crowley.
The Braintree native joined Suffolk’s team in 2021, making her mark at a Commonwealth Coast Conference Quarterfinals against Gordon. That wasn’t the only thing that made her first year at Suffolk special. Coming off the heels of the pandemic, she was returning to the court and to a routine after a hiatus from traditional practices. When she was a freshman, vaccines were mandated and masks were required on campus. The shift happened during her sophomore year back to traditional workouts and games.
“It was definitely different to, like, be back playing a full season again, because the past two years, we were either playing in masks or we were not playing at all,” she said.
Since then, Crowley has been building relationships with an exceptional team that fosters a community of fun. The team’s trip to Florida last year was a stand-out experience with the team. She recalled that the team had a great time, something she learned to value with her AAU teammates in hotel rooms in middle and high school.
Working alongside Leyden, as one of two players in the class of 2025, she was able to get close with the coach in a way many other players couldn’t. But more important than the coach himself, the team she has been a part of is a product of Leyden’s recruitment.
“Like every team, when we have people come and go, it’s been like a great group of girls, it’s always so much fun playing with them, so he’s great at recruiting,” said Crowley.
The girls she got to play with since joining the team have been a favorite part of the experience. Her best friend and roommate, Maddie Stewart, is the only other senior on the team. She’s saying goodbye to Suffolk basketball next to a longtime friend.
“We are the same person and get along so great. Like, she’s just my best friend, she’s my bestest friend in the world. So, like, we live together now. We’ve lived together ever since after freshman year in the North End,” said Crowley.
She also mentioned Amanda DeAngelis, another highlight of her time on the team, and Lauren Romito, this year’s assistant coach.
Even with the high’s the team experienced, with a good playoff run last year, and a riveting locker room, Crowley had her lows at Suffolk. She broke her tibia during her sophomore season, and four concussions that benched her throughout her time on the team. She was out for two months after the fracture.
“So I think that that happening to me, and like having to be on the sidelines so much, made me love it more. And my junior year, I wanted to have a really good season, because I now knew what it felt like to have to sit out,” said Crowley.
Her junior comeback bled into a senior year of emotion. Now, she was confronted with a real potential end to her basketball journey. In the wake of her college career ending, Crowley is going to miss the simple things, like picking out unique basketball shoes to shine on the court or wear the number 14.
“I realized when I took off my uniform, like, I would never put on a uniform again, but it was really strange, like the thought of somebody else, you know, like wearing my jersey,” said Crowley.
There’s a freedom to this time being without basketball for Crowley. Instead of being restricted by COVID, she will have the freedom to explore basketball on her own terms. She doesn’t know when the itch will kick back in and if she’ll pursue the game again. For the time being, she’s ready to have her life back.
“I don’t think it will kick in until next basketball season starts and I’m not a part of it, if that makes sense. But I tell people it’s good or sweet, because I mean, I would have regretted not playing out after high school. There comes a time when, after a lot of injuries and like the mental warfare you go through each basketball season, it’s exhausting,” Crowley said.
Crowley is ready to say goodbye to a sport that marked her childhood, teen years and college career for now. She is staying in the city that supported her almost-not basketball years, but she is prepared to take it easy after a non-stop career on the court.
“I feel like there’s a lot of freedom to be able to do what you want. And also, like, it kind of is in a way, like taking control back of your life, I’m kind of grateful for that,” said Crowley.
