The Big Three

This sunday the Hofstra women's basketball team will be playing their final home game of the regular season as they take on the University of North Carolina-Wilmington Seahawks. Not only will it be senior night to three of Hofstra's greats, but it will also help the Pride in CAA rankings going into the CAA tournament. If we win than we will automatically be third and if not than we will have a tie-breaker for third between UNCW and Drexel. Now I could sit here and talk about all the coulda, woulda, shouldas, but that would not be any fun would it? The real reason behind this post is The Big Three. In my previous post I said that I never had a better group of leaders while playing basketball in my life and I meant every word. These three seniors have made me into the player that I am today and have helped me to become a better person. Never could I thank them enough for everything that they have done for me. I do not even know if its possible to describe what they each mean to me.

Candice Bellocchio- I do not even know where to begin. You have climbed every milestone that there is to climb in basketball without even winning a championship here at Hofstra. You are the best point guard that I have every gotten to play with and sorry to say but it will be tough to ever play with one like you again. You are such a great person and so down to earth and that is why everyone loves you and so I. You have taught me to step back and appreciate life and to turn negatives into positives. You have taught me to not take things too seriously and it is okay to make mistakes as long as I learn from them and fix them. So many kids and adults look up to you as a leader and so do I. The way you handle yourself on and off the court is something that no one can teach. For you it just comes natural. I will always remember walking around the mall with you on my visit and you answered every question with honesty and I knew that you were someone I could talk to about anything and you would listen. I do not know if you will ever understand how much you have meant to me and done for me in my two years here but you definitely have made me want to be a better person and I will never forget you. You will always be my point guard and hopefully you will always be my family because I would not want it any other way. I know that once you leave here you will always have a special place in Hofstra's heart as well as mine. Thank you Can for everything

Marie Malone- My 6'2 walking beauty and one of the greatest people that I have ever known. I always joke around that you talked to me as if I were from another world while I was on my visit but I never told you that you were so nice to me and that I was able to open up and feel more comfortable around everyone because of that. If it were not for you being so nice I do not know if I would have been able to give Hofstra a chance. We were not that close my freshman year but this year definitely changed that. You have been there for me on and off the court more than anyone has been. You have taught me to just relax and that everything is going to be ok. When were out on the floor you bring a sense of calmness for me and I feel like nothing else matters. You never bring me down and only want to make me better. You have taught me to not care what anyone else thinks about me and that it should not matter. You taught me to be myself and people should love me for me. You taught me to be there for others because you never know what anyone is going through. You definitely have my back whether its off the court or saving my ass when I get blown by on defense. That is one thing I will always appreciate is you having my back and knowing you will be there for me no matter what. There are not many people who will stick by you no matter what and you are so special for that. I hope that whatever you do down the road you excel at (which I know you will) and I hope many more people get the chance to meet you because hopefully they will get the chance to see what I see. There will always be that special place for you in my heart and never will it be taken.

Nicole Capurso- Where to even begin. You were my host on my visit when I came all the way from Idaho. I will never forget how nervous I was coming out to a big city from a town of 20,000 AT LEAST. The first time I met you I felt like I had known you for years. You have this confidence that everyone wishes they could have. As well as myself. You know how to handle every situation, you know basically every answer to every question, and if you don't than you will find a way to know it. That is why I look up to you so much. Not only do we play the same position and love to shoot the basketball but you have given me confidence in myself that I could not find while growing up. You are not afraid to take the last second shot because you know that its going in and if it doesn't than oh well! If it were not for you being there telling me to shoot the basketball when I see any type of space (which is not very much lol) I would not have been able to make an impact that I have been able to make thus far. You became my big sister from the beginning and I could not ask for a better role model. I do wish that I could have spent more time with you these past two years but the time that I did get to spend with you I will cherish for the rest of my life. I don't know if you will ever understand how much I appreciate the confidence you have given me not only with basketball, but just in everyday life. You have taught me to hold my head high and know that I can handle any situation that anyone brings my way. You have taught me not to doubt myself if I am not sure and if I am wrong that oh well at least I tried. Like I said before I could not ask for a better big sister and thank you so much for instilling the confidence in myself that I was not able to find before and probably never would have if I never was able to meet you.

With that being said, this win on Sunday will be for you.

I love you seniors