Ray's drives to the rim became more and more a scoring threat as the season progressed.

So many times, we misuse the term Most Valuable Player. The norm is for a player who scores the most points on the top team gets the nod. However, in my estimation, there's a more fundamental equation to apply - "If I took Player X off this team, would the team still have a chance at the success they enjoyed?"

Plug Shelby Ray into this equation, and it becomes absolutely clear. No player in the area was more critical for their team's success, and so Ray is the 2009-2010 Star Girls' Player of the Year.

Change is the new normal

One of the remarkable aspects of Shelby's career at Heritage is the fact that she was asked to change her role on the team three different times. A four-year starter, she was asked in her first two years to be what she is naturally - a hard-nosed defender that helped move the ball in the offense.

I can still clearly remember my first impressions of Ray from her sophomore year. When standing still, she had this funny way of putting her hand on her hip, all angles and attitude. When moving, she was as tough as nails, harassing ball handlers and scrapping inside. Always the quiet one, she never argued calls against her, and would extend a helping hand to the player she had just floored with her intensity. She played hard, and played that way defensively her entire career.

Her junior year saw her move into the point guard position, which at the time came with this job description: Get the ball to Chelsea Hannah. And rightfully so, for Hannah was a scoring force that teams had to reckon with in order to have a chance against the Pats.

So Shelby learned another role - the drive and dish - and the team thrived, making a deep run into the playoffs that no one expected to see repeated this season.

Role player to team leader

This past season saw even more change for the Lady Patriots. New coach Eric Rowland joined the team after school had started, meaning no summer workouts. A new coach also meant a new system, with little time to prepare. And this year, no Hannah meant no clear scorer - a change painfully revealed in the team's first game against Greenbrier.

Ray was still the point guard, but now her drives needed to do more than just serve up assists. Someone had to score the basketball, which meant yet another change for Shelby.

She responded, evolving into a solid all-around player that teams had to scheme to stop. Her increase in scoring came gradually through the year, and as teams began to respect her scoring, Ray was able to get more easy looks for senior teammates Taylor Traughber and Kimi Dorris. Picked to finish at the bottom of District 10-A, the Lady Pats flourished, and found themselves with a chance to win the district regular season on its final day.

"All the girls really came along through the season, but especially Shelby," Rowland said. "She was like a sponge, and by the end of the year we were able to make a lot of adjustments in-game that we couldn't do at the beginning of the year."

Her season stats showed her importance to the team - 25 games, 275 points (11 per game), 75 rebounds (3), 70 steals (2.8), 85 assists (3.4), 71% free throw percentage.

More importantly, though, was that towards the end of the season, Ray became a true team leader.

Refuse to lose

Shelby exploded in the postseason, averaging 17 ppg in the district tournament.

Shelby fully took on the mantle of team engine in the first round of the district tournament. The Lady Pats were playing flat, and allowed a scrappy Nashville Christian team to hang around.

Ray was on the bench with four fouls when the Lady Eagles pushed the lead to nine in the final quarter. Ray was sent back to the scorers' table to re-enter the game, and you could see it on her face - her team was not going to lose.

"I think that game was when I really stepped up," Ray said later. "I didn't want our season to end like that."

Her return sparked the Patriots to a 7-0 run, and her late trey did more than cut the lead to one - it served notice that this was Shelby's team, and they knew how to win. Ray had finally evolved into her potential - she was now the player other teams needed to fear.

She finished with 20 against NCS, then dropped 19 on Houston County in the semi-final. Her solid play warranted a full-court double-team from eventual champions McEwen, who grappled and held Ray baseline to baseline ... and she still scored 13, outplaying POY Samantha Smith on both ends of the floor. She averaged 17 points per game in the district tournament, and for anyone with eyes was clearly the MVP of the tournament.

An easy choice

Personally, as a coach and as a fan, this was an easy choice. There are a lot of area players that I like, but none embodied this season the total package that Shelby brings to the floor.

She's not the best shooter ... but learned to want to take the tough shot. She's not the strongest player ... but never backed down from anyone, regardless of size. She never complained about calls, never retaliated against the clutching and holding that teams used to try and slow her, and played her keister off every single minute she was on the floor.

I love her hustle. I love her desire. I love that she scowls while she plays. I love that she cried after the tough losses against McEwen, but beamed a 1000-watt smile when she looked back at the year.

She's exactly what coaches want in their players, a fact not lost on Coach Rowland. "I wish I had her for four years," Rowland said. "She's a joy to coach, and we're going to miss her."

Ray and the Lady Pats had plenty to smile about late in the year.