Mueller maintains family tradition for Radnor

RADNOR >> Ellie Mueller has been dribbling a basketball ever since … well, she was too young to remember.

“Oh yeah,” the Radnor sophomore said. “From day one.”

Mueller is the daughter of Christopher “Kit” Mueller, the former Princeton University standout who played professionally in Switzerland. ESPN once ranked him as one of the top-five players in Princeton history. Mueller is a chip off the block. She’s following in her dad’s footsteps, too — kind of. She’s actually committed to playing lacrosse at Princeton. If Mueller could, she would be a dual-sport athlete in college. For now, though, her focus is to become the best high school basketball player she can be for Radnor High School.

She’s already a good one. Mueller, an athletic forward with plenty of tools, poured in a game-high 18 points, grabbed eight rebounds and made four steals to help Radnor claim a 71-48 Central League decision over Ridley Friday. Thanks to her bloodlines, Mueller has an advantage over most players. But she is continuously trying to improve and absorbs everything her dad tells her as it relates to basketball.

“He’s been my mentor throughout my whole life; he helps me out after every game,” Mueller said. “He helps me keep improving.” And what’s the best advice she’s received from dear old dad? “Pump-fake and drive,” she said. “That’s his favorite thing.”

Mueller entered Friday as the 10th-leading scorer in Delaware County, averaging 14 points per game. Mueller headlines a starting lineup at Radnor that consists of juniors Audrey Rosenblum and Holly Holtsberg, sophomores Mueller and Missy Massimino, who is the granddaughter of the late Rollie Massimino, and freshman Brienne Williams.

“We’ve had some slow starts in games this year, “ Mueller said, “but we’re really good at coming back and keeping up the pressure.”

You can say that again. Ridley (3-12) jumped out to an 8-0 advantage and held a 16-8 lead midway through that first period. With Mueller leading the way, Radnor (8-5) roared back. She racked up 15 of her 18 points in the first two quarters and Radnor outscored Ridley, 20-2, in the second period.

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