It’s hard to believe Courtney Rett said, “I don’t think I had a good season at all.”

One would think this line came from the mouth of a walk-on, a bench player or a superstar who had a down year.

But Rett said this sentence, and it speaks volumes about her as a person and as a soccer player.

Rett came into her freshman season heavily recruited by Head Coach Ian Stone, who fought off the likes of Hofstra and the University of Delaware for the right to see Rett patrolling the defensive backfield of the Red Storm.

As a member of two club teams, the Lady Bengals and the Valley Stream Blast, Rett had the opportunity to compete against the best players in tournaments in Arizona, Florida and North Carolina.

But it was St. John’s where Rett was most comfortable.

“The soccer program was good and it had a good atmosphere,” Rett said. “This is where I wanted to come.”

While her offensive output this year consisted of just two assists, the Big East coaches voted her onto the All-Big East Rookie Team, just the second SJU player (senior teammate Jaime Clark was the other) to receive the honor.

While the All-Rookie Team seems like a big honor, this 5-6 defender has proved her skills go beyond anything she does against Seton Hall or Miami.

After starring at Valley Stream High School on Long Island, where she also lettered in basketball and track, Rett will be joining the top players in the country this February as a member of the Region 1 Team.
To make this team, Rett first was named to the New York state team, which she has made every year since eighth grade.

This achievement means a lot more than the All-County and All-State awards she won at Valley Stream.

“It’s the best players in the state,” Rett said. “There are girls that get All-State in high school but don’t make this team.”

After playing against teams in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states, she was chosen as one of the top 20 players in the region.

This regional team will compete in a few months and the best players will be picked for a team that will head to London to play talent overseas.

The regional tournament will also give the national team coaches a glimpse of what could possibly be future Olympians.

“The national team coaches will be there,” Rett said, “if they like you, they’ll ask you to tryout” for the national team.

Despite all the accomplishments, Rett seems to dwell on the 2000 season.

“I think I should have done a lot better. I think I played good in like two games.”

Rett played much better than she lets on, as she helped lead a St. John’s defense that allowed only 31 goals in 21 games and posted seven shutouts.

In Rett’s mind, however, there is always room for improvement.

“I let a lot of people get by me and I made some bad decisions,” said Rett. “I think I’ll definitely be ready next year.”

Next year.

The possibility of an All-Big East Team and other various honors wait.

But don’t worry about it going to Courtney Rett’s head. She’ll find something else to perfect next season.