Shore Sports Insider 2025-26 Girls Basketball Player of the Year: Addy Nyemchek, Red Bank Catholic
Shore Sports Insider 2025-26 Player of the Year
Addy Nyemchek, Sr., Red Bank Catholic
Red Bank Catholic senior Addy Nyemchek shoots over Morris Catholic’s Jayah Curtis. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
After sharing the Shore Sports Insider Girls Basketball Co-Player of the Year award with St. Rose’s Jada Lynch in 2024-2025, Addy Nyemchek became the proverbial favorite to win the award this year when her primary competition transferred to Westtown (PA). Expectations were high for her and Red Bank Catholic, but Nyemchek rose to the occasion in the season’s biggest moments leading her team to a Non-Public A title, Shore Conference Tournament title, and the final number one ranking in New Jersey earning her the 2025-2026 Shore Sports Insider Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
Nyemchek set the tone early on with what to expect throughout the season. In the Kevin Williams Christmas Classic Showcase, she led the Caseys to a come-from-behind victory over fourth-ranked Rutgers Prep. Trailing by 12 points with 4:29 left in the 3rd quarter, Nyemchek scored 11 of RBC’s next 17 points to put them on top for the remainder of the game.
“Addy has a unique ability to slow the game down in pressure situations,” RBC head coach Joe Montano said. “She reads the game like no other player I have coached. She senses what her team needs in the heat of the battle and has the ability to change the game. If it’s scoring 15 points in the fourth quarter, so be it. If it’s getting 8 assists in the Shore Conference final then okay fine. Lots of kids see the game, but very few in the heat of the moment see it and do it.”
Red Bank Catholic senior Addy Nyemchek. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
Nyemchek would do something special night in and night out this season. She averaged just under 20 PPG playing against the best teams both inside and outside of New Jersey this season. In what might be the most dominant scoring performance of the season for any player, she set her career-high scoring total in her last game at the Eck Student Center. In the South Jersey Non-Public A semifinal against St. Thomas Aquinas, Nyemchek took over in the second half to finish with 37 points.
In the Non-Public A State Championship against Morris Catholic, Nyemchek scored 22 points to become RBC’s all-time leading scorer with 1,781 career points, passing Casey’s all-time great Kristina Danella in the process.
It was not just her scoring ability that made her such a great player. She was a complete team player that did all the small things in games that helps teams win. In the same game she set her career-high with points, she pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds.
Nyemchek had the ability to take over games on the offensive side of the ball, but she also was a dominant defender that could be used in a variety of different positions. If RBC needed her to guard someone on the outside she could move her feet well enough to stay in front of anyone. If she needed to be on the inside she had the ability to block and alter shots with her length and timing. She finished with 96 steals this season and 45 blocks.
“She is a very versatile defensive player,” Montano said. “There are times we have her guard the other team’s best player and there are times we have her on a non-scorer so she can help and block shots. She makes our other guys better and more aggressive knowing she is behind them to help. I think her block late in the game against Ewing her sophomore year at Red Bank Regional is one of the best plays on defense I have ever seen.”
Red Bank Catholic’s Addy Nyemchek (55) raises the Shore Conference Tournament championship plaque. (Photo: Patrick Olivero)
Great players not only shine, but they make their teammates shine as well. Any player that enrolls at RBC knows the team comes before the individual. If you ever talked to Nyemchek after a game it was never about her, it was always about the team. What the team did right or what the team could have done better.
“She made her teammates better by trusting them and instilling confidence in them,” Montano said. “She always encourages them to do more and take risks to help the team. When someone of her stature is so positive it helps everyone’s confidence. To focus on the team and winning the game. It was never about her, it was always a competitive effort to win the game. I hope our young kids understand that because that is RBC basketball.”
Nyemchek’s recognition will spread far beyond the Shore Conference. She was named the New Jersey Girls Basketball Player of the Year by both Gatorade and MaxPreps with the likelihood of earning the same accolade from other outlets being very high. She was also recognized on a national level as a McDonald’s All-American selection. Nyemchek will be playing in the McDonald’s All-American Game on March 31st in Glendale, Arizona, an honor every player dreams of but very few achieve. In the summer, she will head off to Bloomington, Indiana to prepare to begin her career at Indiana University under head coach Teri Moren.
“It is very refreshing to see because the sport is enamored with numbers,” Montano said. “She plays the game the correct way and sometimes that is overlooked. It is also great to see many hours of practice and training rewarded with these honors.”
