Failure was never an option for the youngest of James and Patricia Bulger's five children. She was destined for great things from the day she was born.
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Meg Bulger of Oakland Catholic is averaging 23.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game this season. (John Heller, Post-Gazette) |
At least those are the things that people outside the family say about Oakland Catholic junior guard Meg Bulger, whose older siblings have tasted a great deal of success.
The Bulgers, who live in Squirrel Hill, have made their mark on Western Pennsylvania sports and beyond. Jim was a successful golfer at Notre Dame. Marc was a standout quarterback at West Virginia and is a backup with the St. Louis Rams. Kate scored more than 2,000 points for the Oakland Catholic girls' basketball team and, as a sophomore at West Virginia, is one of the top players in the Big East Conference.
As a result, the expectations for Meg often have been unusually high, if not unrealistic.
"It could be overwhelming if it weren't for the way my parents have raised me," said Bulger, a three-year starter for Eagles. "Others have placed expectations on me because of my last name, but my parents have never [done that]. They have always been supportive of all of us, and all they ask is our absolute best in everything we do.
"We've never been pushed into anything. My older brother, Patrick, played sports some, but he really wasn't very interested in them. That was OK with my parents because he's had success in other areas. So living up to a legacy is not something that pushes me. I'm proud of my brothers and sister, but I can only be me."
Nowadays, being Meg Bulger is more than good enough. In fact, she ultimately might become the one that the others in the family hold in awe. A 5-foot-10 junior guard, she is ranked as one of the best players in the state by several scouting services and, according to Super Girls' scouting service, she is the second-best junior in Western Pennsylvania behind Clairton's Kamela Gissendanner.
She is averaging 23.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.2 steals per game for the Eagles, who are 15-2 and ranked No. 1 in Class AAAA. Earlier this season, she surpassed the 1,000-point plateau and has 1,131 points for her career.
Last year, she averaged 16.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 3.4 assists per game. As a freshman, she averaged 14 points per game.
But those numbers aren't important to Bulger. She would rather be recognized as a starter for a team which has won 75 of its past 79 games, has won the past two WPIAL Class AAAA titles and is the defending PIAA champion.
"Meg is as good as anyone out there," said Oakland Catholic Coach Suzie McConnell Serio, "but you'll never hear her talk about herself because she is so humble.
"We've asked her to score more this year because we need her to, but she has always been about the team first, and that's what makes her special. She could score even more if she really wanted to, but stats, other than wins, don't matter to her.
"And, although it is natural to compare her to her sister, you can't because they are different. Meg has always been a guard, whereas Kate spent most of her career as a forward. They both excelled in different areas."
Although Meg already has had a lot of success, this is her first year alone in the spotlight. Kate was the team's star during her freshman year, and last year the leader was point guard Amy Kunich, who is a freshman on the Pitt women's team.
And while her role has changed, she hasn't. She understands her responsibility as the team leader, but sees herself as a small part of the team.
"One player doesn't win championships," Meg said. "I may do some different things this year than in the past, but our success still hinges on whether or not everybody does their job. This year, we have a lot of freshman playing for us, so I try and lead by example. I work hard and do what coach asks me to do."
Bulger's team-first attitude hasn't limited her ability to attract college scouts. She is being recruited by nearly every major college. On the first day that colleges could contact juniors, her mailbox was flooded with packages, letters and cards.
McConnell Serio, who has been at Oakland Catholic for 12 seasons, has had numerous stars in her program, but none, according to her, has been recruited as heavily as Bulger. McConnell Serio already has received phone calls from coaches at Duke, Maryland, Boston College, Miami, North Carolina State as well as many Southeastern Conference and Big 10 schools about her star guard.
And as Bulger's stock rises, the attention she receives will intensify. Here, she can benefit from her older siblings' experience.
"Katie went through a similar experience," said Bulger, "so she's already given me a lot of good advice about how to handle it. She basically said that it is important for me to be honest with myself and all the coaches so that I can focus on the schools I really want to go to."
Despite her success and her family's success, Bulger said it isn't the payoff from success that has kept her focused and pushed her to work so hard over the past two years. Rather, what keeps her on track is the fear of reliving the one time she feels like she failed.
The Eagles won 31 consecutive games during the 1999-2000 season and landed in the PIAA Class AAAA championship game in Hershey against Cheltenham.
The Eagles trailed, 54-52, with less than 10 seconds left. Bulger took the inbounds pass after Cheltenham made a free throw and dribbled up the court. When she got to the top of the key, she beat her defender and drove to the basket. But, she accidentally dribbled the ball off her foot, and the turnover ended the Eagles' chance to win.
"I think about that play every day," said Bulger. "I feel like I was the reason we lost that game, so it pushes me to work harder. Sometimes in practice, I'll dribble off my foot and immediately flash back to that moment. It hurt. It is not something I'm angry about all the time, but I certainly don't ever want to let the team down again.
"I won't forget that play. It motivates me. I always remind the younger players that just because you play for Oakland Catholic, it doesn't mean you automatically will win WPIAL and PIAA championships. You have to work for it, you can't take anything for granted."
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