Northwest suburban girls captain: Ashley Capotosto

Nobody scored points better in Elk Grove High School girls basketball history than Ashely Capotosto.

Nobody rebounded better than Capotosto in school history.

And perhaps no one had more passion for doing both than the Cook County Daily Herald All-Area Team captain.

"There were so many times that Ashley would have a dominant performance, and parents or coaches from an opposing school would tell me how impressed they were with her passion for the game," said Elk Grove coach Ryan Kirkorsky. "Whether it was in practice or a game, Ashley would not concede anything on the court."

On the court, she set school records of 1,947 points and 1,118 rebounds in a four-year career that superbly balanced athletics and sports.

"Ashley demonstrates all the qualities that our program and school ask of our student-athletes," Kirkorsky added. " She is an exceptional student leader and approaches the game with incredible intensity."

Capotosto owns a 4.8 GPA on a 5.0 scale and is an A honor roll student. She plans to study chemistry.

Her chemistry with her Elk Grove teammates is the one thing she won't forget.

"Aside from basketball, the friendships I have made with the girls on my team at Elk Grove are life long and the chemistry we had on our team this year is a big factor in our successful season," she said. "Playing at Elk Grove for four years has been amazing. The coaching staff is great and is always pushing us to get better and it has meant a lot to me to be a part of that."

Capotosto signed a letter of intent to play basketball for St. Bonaventure before the season started.

"I'm looking forward to playing for Coach Crowley next year against a totally different level of competition," she said. "Coach Crowley has established such a strong program at St. Bonaventure and I'm very anxious to be able to consider myself a part of that program."

But she will hardly forget the career she leaves behind at Elk Grove.

" Every season I've played at Elk Grove has been better than the last and I'm excited about the growth our team has made in four years," she said. " I'm also so proud of the regional championship we won last year because that was the first regional we have won in 17 years and it was a surreal feeling to be a part of the team that won that."

Game in and game out, Capotosto battled with the top performances in the Mid-Suburban league, often seeing extra attention because of her offensive prowess.

"I've really enjoyed playing in the MSL and all the challenges it has presented," she said. "From freshmen year til now, the competition has always been strong and has made me into a better player. I really enjoyed the way my coaches at Elk Grove pushed us to play with our hearts in every game."

When she was in sixth grade, Capotosto loved to sit in front of the television set with her father Joe and watch NCAA women's basketball games.

Her favorite player is Lindsay Whalen, a former University of Minnesota standout and current WNBA point guard for the Connecticut Sun.

"Watching those games back then was when I said to myself I wanted to play in the NCAA," Capotosto said. "It's exciting to reach that point now."