How Shea Buckley passed decade-old mark to become Atascadero’s top scorer

Shea Buckley is often the first one in the gym and the last to leave. Some mornings, he shows up at 5 a.m. before school and stays some nights until nearly 11 p.m.

Now, in his fourth varsity season, that routine has earned him a place in Atascadero’s record book as the Greyhounds’ all-time leading scorer.

As Buckley developed his game over the course of his high school career and consistently put up double figures, Atascadero head coach Augie Johnston began asking around and digging through records to see just how close Shea might be to program history.

It wasn’t until halfway through the season that he realized a record set more than a decade ago was suddenly within reach.

“I didn’t make it known to (Buckley) until he was 33 points away,” Johnston said.

Johnston said Buckley could easily put up those numbers and oftentimes would, so before the Greyhounds’ game against Mission Prep on Jan. 27, he announced how close the senior was to being school’s the all-time leading scorer.

“He was surprised, and he smiled from ear to ear,” Johnston said.

It took Buckley two games to reach that feat. By the time Atascadero faced San Luis Obispo in its next game on Jan. 30, he needed just one more basket to etch his name into the record books.

Every touch carried a little extra weight, even as Buckley tried to keep his focus on the flow of the game.

The hours of work that led to the record-breaking moment went beyond shots in the gym. The defining basket in his career began with a play on defense.

Buckley came away with a steal, went coast to coast and finished with a euro step to break the 1,750-point mark previously set by Robbie Berwick in 2014.

Berwick went on to play college basketball at Florida State and Colorado State from 2014 to 2019.

“There was a little bit of pressure going into the game, but I’d say it was all good pressure,” Buckley said.

With a record within reach, it could have been easy for the senior to chase shots and force looks that weren’t there just to cement his name in Greyhound history.

While he acknowledged the constant thought of how close he was to being the all-time scorer, he said he never let it affect the way he played.

“I tried not to let it change the way I was playing because I still wanted to be a good teammate, not just a good player,” Buckley said.

That mindset was built long before the record came into view.

Joined varsity team as a freshman

The teammate and player Buckley developed into — what Johnston called “one of the hardest workers to come to Atascadero” during his tenure — began taking shape when he was called up to varsity as a freshman.

“He was the first player that I ever put on varsity as a freshman,” Johnston said.

“I was able to learn a lot from the older guys and was constantly being pushed hard at practice,” Buckley said.

His four-year varsity career wasn’t without its challenges. While there were some games in his freshman year that he would start, limited minutes and time on the bench forced him to learn the game from a different perspective.

“He was so small at the beginning. It was like, ‘How’s he going to keep up with these guys?’” His father, Brian Buckley, said. “But he grew right into it and had no problems, even as a freshman.”

“It was frustrating not being able to play and having to sit back,” Shea Buckley said. “We had a lot of shooters on the team, so it was a little bit frustrating, but it ultimately motivated me for the next year.”

The following season marked a turning point, as the freshman who once spent time on the bench emerged as a leader, guiding the varsity squad to the Division 3 semifinals while stepping into the role of the team’s leading scorer.

“He was very confident and humble at the same time,” Johnston said.

That balance was something Buckley’s parents said they saw long before records entered the conversation.

“He never really talked about records at home,” his mother, Heather Buckley, said. “He just wanted to be the best teammate he could be.”

From the stands, Buckley’s parents watched years of quiet work add up. The nights spent picking him up late from the gym and the countless shots put up at home eventually turned into the moment they saw his hard work pay off as Atascadero’s all-time leading scorer.

“He’s overcome a lot in his life, and I’m just proud to see him growing up,” Brian Buckley said.

While the record marks a milestone in his career, Shea Buckley said his focus remains on the present and what he can control.

With one game remaining in the regular season, Atascadero sits at third in the Mountain League ahead of its final road game against Arroyo Grande on Feb. 10.

“After high school, I would love to continue my basketball career,” Buckley said. “But it’s wherever the wind kind of takes me. I’m not really set on a specific goal. Whatever happens, happens.”