Photo courtesy Quinnipiac Athletics
The Quinnipiac women’s basketball team has a saying, according to point guard Carly Fabbri.
“Wave the towel for your teammate.”
A roster that dedicates themselves to that one word, “team,” is ready to tackle the 2016-17 campaign. Carly Fabbri and Adily Martucci were named captains for the second straight season. Morgan Manz was named a captain for the first time in her career as a Bobcat.
“Each of those three young ladies lead in their very own, unique ways. They connect very differently, whether it is in the locker room or on the floor,” said head coach Tricia Fabbri of her program’s captains. “The three of them together make a very strong balance of leadership for the 16 players of our team.”
“This year we’re definitely working more as a team,” the point guard said. “Anyone on the floor can be a leader at any moment,” Martucci said.
The Bobcats are relying on depth to carry them this season.
“If it’s not us three scoring all the points, it’s going to be six or seven points from everyone, which I think is very beneficial for us,” said the second-year captain Fabbri. “I think on any given night, any player can have a really good game,” Manz said.
Last season the Bobcats had seven players with at least six points per game. Maria Napolitano is the only Bobcat of those seven who will not return to the court for Quinnipiac this year after graduating.
“It’s probably the easiest thing to talk about right now, really,” the head coach said.
The elder Fabbri could not be more pleased with her roster this season, specifically the veteran playmakers.
“Fifth-year grad student Adily Martucci is having her best summer into the preseason and now into practice. She’s looking as complete a player as she has been in the program.”
Martucci had career highs in almost every statistic last season, averaging 7.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game. All three years she has played, her points, rebounds, assists and minutes have increased, but from her redshirt sophomore to redshirt junior year, her field goal percentage, three-point percentage, and free throw percentage decreased.
“She’s leading us, statistically, in practice, and playing really well. That’s what you want from a leader and a veteran player, showing everyone else how it is done,” said the coach.
First-year captain and sharp-shooter Manz is poised for a successful all-around season.
“Morgan Manz is playing her best basketball right now. Honestly, she could be the best shooter. Morgan is just shooting the lights out and is so nasty around the basket. She’s ready for an incredible senior year,” the coach said.
Manz averaged a career high in points in the 2015-16 season with 6.5 points per game. She had the second highest three-point percentage on the team last season, shooting over 45 percent from beyond the arc.
“Brittany [Johnson] and Carly [Fabbri] burst on to the scene last year. They gained so much experience. They’ve been so efficient and effective for us, adding to the depth of the roster,” the coach said.
Quinnipiac was picked to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference over the reigning conference champion Iona Gaels in the preseason poll. Though, that does not seem to faze the captains.
“Obviously it’s good to be named that, however it does not mean anything to us. We saw last year, Fairfield was the favorite to win it all and that obviously did not happen,” said number five.
The younger Fabbri did not seem to think that there is an extra pressure to now win the conference, given that they were named the preseason favorite.
“That’s where we’re expecting to be at the end of the season, and if we don’t get there, that’s on us, not on the pressure to be the best.”
“Our hope is to win everything. Last year, I made the mistake of saying that we would win it,” said Martucci. “But the hope is to win it, and we’ve just got to stay humble and stay hungry.”
The MAAC favorites will start regular season play against Florida Gulf Coast University. The last time the Bobcats squared off against the Eagles, it was an over-time loss that left a bitter feeling for the returning players. Florida Gulf Coast brings back only three players who were on the court in that game, including two who played major minutes, forward Haley Laughter and guard Taylor Gradinjan. On the upcoming game, Martucci said, “Oh, that’s going to be awesome. There’s going to be a lot of emotion behind that, just because we lost by one (in 2015). I’m excited for it.”
The head coach is highly anticipating facing established programs like Dayton, Michigan State, Temple, New Mexico State and potentially others in the Play 4Kay Shootout at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“Our non-conference schedule is really one that is ready to provide some excitement for our fans, and certainly get people in the stands for some exciting women’s basketball.”
The captains hope that the rest of their teammates are waving their towels for them as they open their season on Lender Court on November 11th.
