As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, USA TODAY Sports will celebrate the 250 greatest American sports figures of all time. Alongside that national recognition, the USA TODAY Network will spotlight the roots of the country’s sports culture: the high school athletes and sports figures who shaped communities and defined their states.
That’s no easy task, which is why we need help from our readers. As we embark on a deep dive at the South Coast’s best high school girls basketball players, we’re asking for our readers to make their voices heard by voting for the best player from the area of all time. The coverage area includes The Taunton Daily Gazette, The Standard-Times and The Herald News.
We are now focused on girls basketball, but boys basketball will be soon to follow in upcoming weeks. Votes must be cast online.
Jessica Gaspar, Dartmouth
In her four years at Dartmouth, Gaspar set the school’s all-time scoring record (for boys and girls basketball) with 1,840 points (a mark recently broken by Kat Cheesebro). She helped Dartmouth go 71-9 with four Eastern Athletic Conference championships. As a senior, she averaged 27.4 points and just under 10 rebounds to power Dartmouth to a trip to the state semifinals her senior year in 1995 and earned the Dave Cowens Achievement Award, New England Gatorade Player of the Year Award for the second time and Nike/Foot Locker and Parade Magazine All-American. She was also selected as USA Today and Smith and Street’s Female Athlete of the Year for Massachusetts. Gaspar went on to play at the University of North Carolina for three years, recording a 7.3 ppg average, 207 assists, 144 steals and 261 rebounds, finishing ninth on the school’s all-time charts in both assists and steals. She played professionally in Iceland, where she broke a team single-game record for assists with 17.
Gretchen Rodrigues, New Bedford
A four-year starter at New Bedford, Rodrigues earned league and Standard-Times All-Star honors all four years. She was a two-time Standard-Times Girls Basketball Player of the Year and won the Dave Cowens Achievement Award her senior year. Rodrigues set school records in girls basketball for career points (1,390), most 3-pointers made in a game (8) and most points in a game (37) as well as overall school records for boys and girls basketball in career 3-pointers (243) and most 3-pointers made in a single season (91). She was the only girl from Massachusetts to be named to the Adidas Top 100 All-America Team her senior year. She went on to play at Dean College, UMass Lowell and Bloomfield College.
Katherine Cheesebro, Dartmouth
Cheesebro, a three-time Standard-Times Girls Basketball Player of the Year, became Dartmouth’s all-time leading scorer with 2,058 points, breaking Jessica Gaspar’s mark of 1,840 set in 1995. Cheesebro is just the second girls basketball player from the SouthCoast to surpass 2,000 career points and now holds the area’s record for most career points scored by a girls basketball player, surpassing the mark of 2,009 established by Old Colony’s Karen Walsh in 1996. As a senior, Cheesebro averaged 27.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.4 steals to help Dartmouth win a second straight Southeast Conference title and capture a fourth straight state tournament appearance, including a trip to the 2025 Div. 2 Elite 8. Dartmouth finished the year with a record of 20-3. She was named the 2025 Dave Cowens Achievement Award winner.
Kate O’Shaughnessy, Old Rochester
O’Shaughnessy was a driving force in Old Rochester’s dream season to the 1998 state championship as she averaged 12 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.6 steals and 3.9 assists for the 24-2 Bulldogs. In her four years, ORR won a pair of South Coast Conference championships and set the school record for most wins in a season. She was named the Dave Cowens Achievement Award winner as she finished as Old Rochester’s all-time leading scorer in girls basketball. O’Shaughnessy went on to play four years of soccer and one of basketball at Holy Cross.
Kara Charette, Fairhaven
Charette helped Fairhaven reach the 2012 Div. 3 state semifinals after an undefeated South Coast Conference championship her senior year in which she averaged 19.1 points and 11.5 rebounds. She finished her high school career as the school’s all-time leading scorer (boys and girls) with 1,688 points and a school-record 1,081 rebounds. She was named The Standard-Times Girls Basketball Player of the Year and won the Dave Cowens Achievement Award. Charette was also a standout in girls volleyball, helping Fairhaven win back-to-back South Sectional titles. She graduated as the school’s all-time leader with 1,175 kills. Charette went on to play basketball at Franklin Pierce University.
Beth Plasski, Durfee
Plasski’s record for career points (1,776) still stands for the Hilltoppers 21 years later. She reached the 1,000-point mark as a junior. She averaged 25.2 points, 3.1 assists and 5 rebounds per game in junior season and 22.3, 4.5, and 6.1 senior season. Plasski, who scored 1,456 at Assumption College, was a McDonald’s All-American nominee and is in the Durfee Hall of Fame.
Sarah Fullmer, Joseph Case
From the Class of 2006, Fullmer, a dominant center and four-year starter, racked up 1,366 career points. In her junior year, she averaged 16.2 points, 12 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game in helping Case to a Division 3 state championship. She earned a full scholarship to Division 1 Sienna College and played for four years . She was one of the Boston Herald Top 5 players in 2005.
Kendra Lund (Drake), Taunton
The top scorer in Taunton girls basketball history with 1,437 points, Lund dominated the court for the Tigers. An Old Colony League All-Star in all four of her varsity seasons, she was named the 1999 OCL MVP and was a four-time All Scholastic for both the Taunton Daily Gazette and The Enterprise.
Mary Nwachukwu, Dighton-Rehoboth
The first girl in Dighton-Rehoboth history to reach 1,000 points, doing so as a junior despite missing 10 games her freshman year. Nwachukwu dominated the South Coast Conference during her time as a Falcon. The multi-time Taunton Daily Gazette and Herald News All-Scholastic finished her high school career with 1,590 points, averaging a double-double of 30 points and 18 rebounds per game her junior season. She became the first D-R basketball player to earn an NCAA Division 1 scholarship, starting her college career at Boston College before playing for St. John’s and Fordham.
Jen Mead, Bridgewater-Raynham
A true multi-sport star, Mead played a key role as a center leading the Trojans to the 1990 MIAA Division 1 title, alongside current B-R coach Cheryl (Tebou) Seavey. Following her senior season, she was named the Boston Globe State Basketball Player of the Year, after having been named as one of the 12 best players in the state as a junior. Mead, who starred at basketball, soccer and softball for B-R, went on to play both NCAA Division 1 basketball and soccer at Providence College, being named to the 1991 Big East All-Freshman Team on the court. As a goalkeeper in soccer, Mead played professionally for the Boston Renegades and San Jose CyberRays while recording six caps for the United State Women’s National Team.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Who is the greatest girls basketball player from the South Coast?
