People who grew up at the Jersey Shore know that this is the best time of the year to visit.
Locals summer they call it.
Ocean City native Stephanie Gaitley is no different.
The coach and her Fairleigh Dickinson University women’s basketball team will take a retreat to Ocean City this weekend.
The Knights can be considered the Cape-Atlantic League’s hometown women’s college team. In addition to Gaitley, they feature three local players in junior Jada Elston (a 2023 Middle Township graduate), sophomore Sydney Stokes (a 2024 Mainland Regional graduate) and freshman Reese Downey (a 2025 Absegami graduate).
The Knights will begin the weekend with a clinic for youth players and team scrimmage at Ocean City Intermediate School on Friday. Admission is free, but people could make a donation to the Helping Hands Garden at Ocean City Primary School in honor of Mikenzie Helphenstine, a beloved teacher at the school who died of cancer in 2022.
FDU is a program on the rise. The Knights finished 29-4, won the Northeast Conference and made the NCAA Tournament last season.
“The more we do things like this, the more we gain attention.” Gaitley said. “It’s getting the word out there. We have three games on the YES Network this season. I think getting to the NCAA Tournament has opened eyes. The more we do, the more we expose the game, the more we expose FDU.”
The clinic will run from 3:30 to 5 p.m. and will include shooting, ball handling, agility and defensive drills.
“We’ll do some fun games,” Gaitley said. “Knockout, relay races. Just fun different games the kids love the competition of.”
The intrasquad team scrimmage will follow and run until 7 p.m. It’s the real deal, with officials and a shot clock.
Local high school and younger players can get a look at just how talented one has to be to become a Division I player. Others can take inspiration from Downey, Elston and Stokes: “If they did it, why can’t I?”
“It makes the (FDU players) feel excited that they’re role models,” Gaitley said. “All three (Downey, Elston and Stokes) are doing a great job. I can see all three getting some minutes this year.”
Gaitley, 65, is an established NCAA Division I coach with a 727-414 record. Her teams have made 21 postseason appearances, including 10 trips to the NCAA Tournament.
In addition to FDU, she’s coached at Richmond, Saint Joseph’s, Long Island University, Monmouth and Fordham.
In between her stints at Fordham and FDU, Gaitley took over at Ocean City High School, her alma mater, for the 2022-23 season. The Red Raiders finished 23-7 and won the South Jersey Group III championship that season.
Gaitley said the Knights are young but talented this season.
One of the reasons she is a successful coach is because she understands these team-building weekends can be just as valuable if not more so than an inbounds play.
“People often ask, ‘Why do my teams win?’” she said. “It’s how you treat people. It’s getting them to understand the importance of being a team.”
But there’s even a better reason to take the Knights to Ocean City this weekend. The Knights will play at Goofy Golf on the Ocean City Boardwalk. She will pick up dinner at Boyer’s Food Market. Gaitley’s siblings, nieces and nephews will all be there.
“It’s home,” Gaitley said. “I’m hitting all the hot spots.”
Contact: 609-272-7209
MMcGarry@PressofAC.com
X @ACPressMcGarry
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Mike McGarry
Staff Writer
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