Shen’s Almeida finds her next home
Why wait?
That simple two-word question is something Shenendehowa junior Cat Almeida asked herself.
Getting an offer from a school she loved all along pretty much ended the 6-foot-5 center’s meticulous two-year approach toward her recruitment.
Almeida has decided to play her Division I basketball for coach Tricia Fabbri at Quinnipiac University of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
The Bobcats have captured two straight MAAC titles, including going 18-0 in conference play during the 2017-18 season. Quinnipiac finished 28-6 overall after beating Miami 86-72 and falling to perennial national power Uconn 71-46 in the NCA A Tournament.
“I visited there almost two years ago,” Almeida said. “I really liked it. I took a second visit and from the moment I walked on campus, I felt it was right for me. I did other visits and listened. When (Quinnipiac) offered, I was thrilled and ready to go.
“I think I planned on having it done before my senior year started. I thought I was going to wait until later in the summer, but this was the place I wanted to go.”
Almeida selected the Bobcats over such programs as South Alabama, Hofstra, Fairfield, Manhattan and Binghamton. She also had offers from schools close and from all across the country.
“I definitely enjoyed the recruiting process,” Almeida said. “I loved visiting schools trying to find what I liked. It is definitely nice to be finished.”
“I think it is always good for a player to have their decision completed early, if possible,” Shenendehowa coach Joe Murphy said. “It allows them to enjoy their senior year and not have to worry about anything other than enjoying the season.”
Almedia, who plans to major in marketing, had her junior campaign with the Plainsmen derailed by injury. The team’s third-leading scorer behind seniors Cam Tooley and Alex Tudor, Almeida missed the final five games of the regular season after suffering a right foot injury.
She clearly was not at her peak during two Class AA sectional contests, scoring three points against Columbia and four in a 49-45 semifinal setback against Bethlehem.
“Her not being healthy for sectionals really hurt us, no question about it,” Murphy said. “The double-teams she drew opened up things for Cam on the outside.”
Almeida’s ability to set quality screens, pass, dribble, rebound and block shots helped Shenendehowa enjoy another quality season in the Suburban Council. She showed off her shooting ability by draining a game-winning 3-pointer to beat Averill Park 57-56.
Murphy envisions Almeida’s offensive role to be greatly expanded for the 2018-19 season.
“There will definitely be a lot of offensive sets that will run through her now — inside and outside,” Murphy said. “She showed during her junior season the ability to shoot from the perimeter. If she continues to work on that and improve it, she will be that much tougher to guard.”
Almeida thanked her coaches at Shenendehowa and Terrance Florence, whom she plays for with the NY Havoc, for helping with her development as a player and dealing with the recruiting trail.