SAN CARLOS – Don't call Emily Osga a multisport athlete.
SEAN M. HAFFEY / Union-Tribune
Emily Osga dribbled around her opponent in the playoffs last year. The Patrick Henry senior excels in many sports, including basketball, averaging 17.5 points a game last season.
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The Patrick Henry High senior is more an omnisport athlete.
Osga has excelled in basketball, tennis, cross country and track for the Patriots. She has competed in gymnastics, baseball, softball and soccer at other stages in her life.
It's hard to find a sport she doesn't play well.
Six months ago, the only tennis experience Osga had was playing for fun with her dad, Glenn Osga. Emily tried out for the Patrick Henry team and became co-captain of a Patriots varsity squad full of multisport athletes such as Shelby Harris (softball) and Anna Roberts (soccer).
“She's a raw talent,” Patrick Henry tennis coach Karen Ronney said. “She has the ability to do a lot of things with her body in a very short amount of time. Emily just naturally gets it.”
Osga and her doubles partner, Hannah Mykel, went 32-1 in Eastern League play and qualified for the San Diego Section tournament.
Osga said she hates running but still competed in cross country as a sophomore and junior, helping Patrick Henry win the league title last year.
She has excelled in track and field, setting the school record in the mile and the 300-meter hurdles. Osga's versatility in track is demonstrated by her participation in every event except the shot put, discus and 100-meter dash – her three goals for this season.
Those sports pale in comparison to basketball. Osga, Patrick Henry's point guard and captain, averaged 17.5 points a game last season as the Patriots compiled a 25-6 record that included a 12-0 mark in the Eastern League.
Perhaps more impressive were Osga's nine rebounds a game. It's rare for a point guard to bang elbows in the paint, but competitiveness is what drives her.
“I love when people look back, like, 'Whoa, where'd she come from?' ” Osga said. “I love being aggressive, not being scared of contact.”
Patriots basketball coach Nick Bertaux loves to tell a story about a game last season against Kearny. Bertaux thought it would be an easy win until Osga sprained her left ankle in the early minutes. The Komets kept the game close, making Osga nervous. She paced along the bench, testing her ankle.
When Kearny took the lead in the third quarter, Osga had seen enough. She told Bertaux she was ready to go back in. After the trainer gave Bertaux the thumbs up, Osga checked in. She nailed shot after shot, tying the game in the closing seconds on a three-pointer. Patrick Henry won in overtime 73-62.
“I just got into the game. I didn't think about (the injury) at all,” Osga said. “It helped us get to an undefeated (league) season, so it felt really good.”
Osga works hard off the court, too, earning a 4.5 grade-point average. Her academics have merited attention from Brown University, New York University and Washington University in St. Louis.
Teammates show the same dedication for Osga that she demonstrates for the Patriots.
“She's a role model to all of us,” junior guard Amy Viettry said. “She's a great person.”
