'She is one of one.' Wayland's Ella Getz building foundation at Worcester Academy

BOSTON - Aseem Rastogi's office chair spun away from the window slowly, not menacing but mischievous. The Worcester Academy girls basketball coach watched Wayland's Ella Getz tap her fingertips, back against the ribbed cushions.

"She treats it like she's Dr. Evil, like this is her office," Rastogi said. "That's the kind of kid she is. She takes over wherever she is, but not in an ostentatious or performative way. She has this personality that people gravitate toward. You cannot say enough great things about that kid. She is one of one."

Getz spends much of her time in between classes and practices at Worcester Academy in Astogi's office, raiding his snack stash for Mott's fruit snacks, PopCorners and Pop-Tarts. She transferred to the NEPSAC program after a standout freshman season at Wayland. Getz was named the Dual County League Small Co-MVP and helped the Warriors reach the Division 2 Round of 16.

Her decision altered the path of her career and potentially the future of a proud program.

'We gotta go get that kid'

Worcester Academy reached last season's NEPSAC AA quarterfinals, and longtime coach Sherry Levin decided not to return for the 2023-24 season. Only six players remained on the roster when Rastogi, previously a Brandeis assistant, took over.

He needed to pound the recruiting trail while hiring a staff. That meant leveraging trusted relationships to work quickly.

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Team Sims AAU coach Courtney Sims invited Rastogi to a practice. He watched Sims' younger players practice since they weren't looking to add more upperclassmen. As the older team filed in, through, Rastogi noticed Getz.

"I assumed she was a junior as a freshman in high school," Rastogi said. "We want length. We want kids who are good leaders. Then I saw her shoot a basketball once and I said, 'yep, we gotta go get that kid.'"

Playing for Sims helped Getz find the confidence that she could play somewhere like Worcester Academy, which produced recent WNBA No. 1 draft pick Aliyah Boston. Getz joined the team in seventh grade and progressed quickly. Sims, a Noble & Greenough product who eventually played at Michigan and in the NBA, surprised her when he told Getz she could play college basketball as a ninth grader.

"That's a good thing, though. I coach a lot of kids. There's kids that can't dribble the ball and run at the same time, and they think they can play in the NBA," Sims said. "Her not assuming that helped her out now. She knows she has to put in the work and get better. She has good parents that keep her humbled and grounded."

'Use basketball, don't let basketball use you'

Getz comes from a basketball family. Her mom Nell Getz and aunt Daisy Powers (then Harder) led Wayland to a state final at the old Boston Garden in 1995. Ella stands at 6-foot-1 and possess the ball skills of a much smaller player. Her age group with Teams Sims lacks a true big, so occasionally she will guard all five positions and attack the same on offense.

"Once you get over 6 feet as a college prospect, that’s what they look at. She’s very mobile, very skilled, she can shoot, stretch the court," Sims said. "I know what they look for. This is all the stuff college coaches look for."

Sims likes to tell his players, "use basketball, don't let basketball use you." Getz had that in mind when Rastogi approached.

"I was thinking about my future. I want to set myself up with all of these amazing opportunities, like this one," said Getz, standing on the TD Garden floor on Sunday after a 73-53 win over Rivers School as part of the Andrew James Lawson Foundation Invitational. "I wanted a team and coaches that fully supported me and put the time into working with me."

She and her dad, Geoff, met Cameron Rust when they toured the campus. Rust is a senior small forward from Kingston, Rhode Island, committed to play at Penn State who has been at Worcester Academy for four years. Rastogi asked her to take the Getzes on the tour.

Rust explained Worcester Academy's community foundations and answered questions about the food. She was honest about the state of the program. The Rams entered a rebuild after the exodus.

"That's a perfect opportunity to come in, especially because you can be part of that new foundation," Rust said. "Everything's not set in stone yet. You have the opportunity to create the culture."

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Getz weighed that opening against what she had at Wayland. She grew up there and could continue a family legacy. Her friends and teammates were there with teachers she loved.

"Thinking a little bit selfishly," Getz said. "This is what I wanted for myself."

Selfless star

That was her last selfish act at Worcester Academy. For most of her life, Getz was the best player on every team she represented. Offenses ran through her, and the opposition keyed on her. She needed to give that up and did so gladly.

"The adjustment wasn't very hard for her because she was willing to make it as opposed to being forced to make it," Rastogi said.

The Rams found a role for Getz. She plays in the post and defends, inbounding the ball with pinpoint passes. Getz hounds opponents bringing the ball up the floor and fights for rebounds on both ends. Worcester Academy was never going to be Getz's team, not with a consensus top-100 prospect on the floor in Rust. So she became part of the team.

"That’s big of her, and it takes a lot of maturity, especially at her age," Rust said. "I know of people who would not be able to do that, to buy into the culture of our team. You will be successful as an individual if our team is winning. That’s really important."

Rastogi quickly separated them to opposite teams in practice. Guarding Rust every day introduced Getz to the realities of NEPSAC basketball. Trying to avoid Getz's length honed Rust's Big Ten-bound game.

"There was an automatic mutual respect after the first couple practices. We realized we were our best competition," Rust said. "She makes me better. She's the blocking and rebounding queen."

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Getz has averaged 5.3 points and 7.3 rebounds (second on the team) per game this season. She distributes three assists and grabs 1.2 steals per game. Worcester Academy's Value Points system rates her as the Rams' most valuable contributor for the season at 1.6. Division I programs have already started calling, and her high academic prowess has attracted Ivy league programs.

"We call her a unicorn because she has the size, length, skill athleticism, and her enthusiasm to grow is unlike anything I've ever seen," Rastogi said. "Being able to stretch the floor, handle the ball, play in and out of ball screens, pretty much doing everything as that Swiss Army knife queen on the chessboard type player, and she's willing to do it. The future's really bright."

But no number can quantify the total value Getz brings to Worcester Academy. She keeps the team laughing and upbeat with her positive attitude. Her encouragement lifts her teammates on the court or from the bench.

"When I do well she is the first person to be like 'oh my god, you're unstoppable,'" Rust said.

Rust is usually the last player out of the Worcester Academy locker room following games or practices, but Getz waits for her. She checks on her teammates in the training room, holds open doors and acknowledges their memories together.

"Those kids don't grow on trees," Rastogi said.

Getz has played 13 games for Worcester Academy in her first season. She constantly asks questions, trying to squeeze every kernel of knowledge and experience out of the people around her. Occasionally she steps back and consider the way her life changed. Sitting on the Boston Celtics' bench and playing on the TD Garden floor - just like her mom did for Wayland at the old Boston Garden in 1995 - brought the journey into sharper focus.

"Sometimes it hits me. I get these moments like 'life is starting.' I have so many opportunities," Getz said. "This is so fun, this is my favorite thing about life, basketball. It was the right decision for me."

Contact Kyle Grabowski at kgrabowski@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @kylegrbwsk.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Wayland's Ella Getz flourishing with Worcester Academy basketball