Confident Posset ready to lead RMU
At least twice a week, Robert Morris junior Isabella Posset receives a FaceTime call from halfway across the world. On the other end of the line is her older sister, Lexi, checking in from Belfast — a city more than 3,000 miles away from Pittsburgh off the coast of Northern Ireland. While they regularly touch base via texting during the week, the FaceTime sessions are primarily reserved for talking shop.
“Our FaceTimes are always about basketball,” said Posset. “Lexi’s always checking up on me and asking, like, ‘How are you doing? Are you sore from practice? Are you getting your shots up? Stay in the gym. Anything else you need to talk about?’ She just constantly pushes me to be better.”
Lexi’s line of questioning comes from a position of experience and a passion-driven desire to see her sister succeed. After all, it wasn’t too long ago when she was in Isabella’s shoes.
In 2019, she concluded a decorated college basketball career at Rider University before moving to Belfast to pursue playing professionally while earning a master’s degree. However, before Lexi was a two-time captain for Rider, she was first a two-time all-WPIAL guard for Beaver — where Isabella, a freshman starting on varsity at the time, followed her lead during her standout senior season. A year later, Isabella committed early to Robert Morris, in large part due to her older sister’s influence.
“On days where I didn’t feel like going to the gym, Lexi made me go to the gym,” said Posset. “On days I felt really sore, she told me we were still going to lift. There was no way I wasn’t going — she’d just say, ‘Get in the car.’ There was nothing I could do to get out of it.
“I think that pushed me to reach my best potential because I’m trying to compete against her, too. I’m not going to let my older sister boss me around like that. So, I’m challenging myself next to her like, ‘Oh, she’s doing 25 [reps]? I can do 30.’ Just little things like that.”
Seven years later, their sisterly dynamic hasn’t changed at all. Lexi is still guiding her from afar.
“I learned a lot throughout my basketball career, so the advice I give Bella comes from those situations,” said Lexi. “The thing I stress the most with her is staying positive. Basketball is a game full of ups and downs, but you can’t dwell on the downs. ... She saw me struggle at certain stages in college, and I think that allowed her to learn about college hoops before she had even experienced it.”
Because of that insight, Posset was able to hit the ground running at Robert Morris. She was named to the all-NEC Rookie team as a freshman, leading her team in assists, steals and minutes (25.9), and finishing second in scoring (7.6) for the 2018-19 Northeast Conference champions. Then, as a sophomore, she started all 33 games, and led the league in steals per game (2.6) while scoring in double-figures 13 times — including a career-high 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting against Merrimack on Jan. 18.
The Colonials went 45-18 over that span with back-to-back 20-win seasons. Now, the 5-foot-8 guard has been tasked with inheriting a larger leadership role for the Colonials as they attempt to navigate their inaugural season in the Horizon League amid the uncertainty of a global pandemic. Posset, the team’s top returning scorer, was a third-team NEC selection as a sophomore while becoming the fourth-fastest player in program history to garner 100 steals.
However, she’s learning that strong leadership extends far beyond the stat sheet.
“I’ve told Bella that eyes would be on her 24/7,” said Lexi. “That is what comes with the role of being a leader on the team. You have to lead by example in all aspects of college life, be it on the floor, in the classroom or in the community. People who you think aren’t watching and who you do not know will be watching, so it is important to always have a good attitude and carry yourself in the correct manner.”
Posset’s development has been visible to those both inside and outside of the Robert Morris program. At her best, she is a high-energy, two-way guard who can play point or off-ball and impact both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor.
“Bella brings really great visual athleticism,” said Robert Morris coach Charlie Buscaglia. “She has learned the game very well now. When she first came in, she had her natural ability, quick hands and could knock down shots, and she had some great moments her freshman year getting into the lane and doing nice things around the basket. But what we’re working on now, which she has really done better at, is learning the game and using visual athleticism to make good decisions on the court.”
In addition, Buscaglia said he has noticed an increased sense of confidence in Posset’s approach to the day-to-day grind at Robert Morris. He calls it “true confidence”, which entails a consistent focus on fulfilling her role within the team while maintaining a steadfast commitment to staying locked in each moment to moment.
“The big thing with Bella when she first came here was that even though she had done real well throughout all those years at Beaver, we were working a lot on her having that true confidence,” said Buscaglia. “It’s not just saying, ‘Bella, be confident on the court.’ What we really stressed with her early on that I’ve really seen her grow with is her confidence in her work ethic.”
From her teammates’ perspective, Posset is also increasingly comfortable with speaking up in practice, something that wasn’t always the case upon first arriving in Moon Township.
“Definitely the first thing that comes to my mind in terms of Bella’s development is her being a vocal leader,” said senior guard Nina Augustin, who lives with Posset on the Robert Morris campus. “She’s a big part of practices. When she got here she definitely wasn’t like that from the beginning, but she has taken that challenge and really grown. Now she’s a consistent voice in our practices and games.”
Posset is far from a finished product as a player, but she’s poised to take a major step forward in her third season with the program — whenever it actually begins. The Colonials’ first three games against Norfolk State (Dec. 5) and Cleveland State (Dec. 12, Dec. 13) were all canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. As of now, they will open their season with a pair of games against Milwaukee Dec. 19 and Dec. 20.
But regardless of when the day actually comes, Posset will be ready — trust that her older sister will make sure of it.
“Lexi continues to tell me that if I just try my hardest and not worry about making mistakes, everything will fall into place,” said Posset. “Just be a killer out there, and be hard to guard. That’s what gives me motivation.”