Setaro, TCNJ shooting for NJAC’s top prize
There are a few emotional traits that a pure shooter needs to possess on the basketball court: a short memory and a ton of confidence.
Julia Setaro has those traits and you can also add a mountain of talent.
The College of New Jersey senior knows she is going to need them all as the Lions look to snap a two-game losing skid and strive for their first conference championship since the 2008-09 season.
“We know that every game going forward is super important for playoffs and every team in the NJAC is going to be coming for us,” said Setaro. “Every game is a big game. So, we need to come into every practice laser focused on the game plan and not harp on the setbacks. All we can do is learn from our mistakes and work them out in practice so we are ready for the next one.”
The next one is Montclair State (109, 7-5 NJAC) and the Red Hawks come to Packer Hall for a 3 p.m. tipoff on Saturday. MSU won the first meeting with TCNJ, 58-56, as the Lions (12-7, 7-5) NJAC) saw a lead fade late in the contest.
The New Jersey Athletic Conference has a logjam in the standings with Kean and New Jersey City at 9-3 in conference play, Ramapo and Rowan are at 8-4 and TCNJ and Montclair State are at 7-5 to round out the top six if the playoffs go back to the standard format.
But William Paterson is 6-6 and Stockton 5-7 and both are knocking on the door.
Setaro has been here before and is ready for the challenge. The most recent one invokes one of her fondest basketball memories.
“There are a few great memories, but the first one that comes to mind is when we beat Kean in the first round of playoffs last year as the No. 8 seed playing the No. 1 seed,” recalled Setaro. “I guarantee no one watching that game thought we would win and just to prove everyone wrong was such an exhilarating feeling. Winning that game gave us a lot of momentum and confidence going into the next round of playoffs, which ultimately brought us to the NJAC final.”
Set to graduate in the spring Setaro has been an awesome leader, teammate and player since she arrived on the TCNJ campus.
Always among the conference
leaders in scoring, she’s averaging a team best 13.5 points a game, is shooting nearly 40% from the field and has a team-high 26 steals.
Setaro’s competitive spirit and motivation has a very interesting source.
“My current teammates are the ones that inspire me,” stated Setaro. “Everyone on the team comes into practice every day hungry to compete and wanting to get better. That in itself inspires me to bring my best every time I step out on the court. We also have members of our team that aren’t able to be out there with us because of injuries, and I know more than anything they would love to be on the floor. So, they inspire me to push myself and not take a day of being able to play basketball for granted.”
Like every college student-athlete, she loves time with family and friends and after graduation Setaro, who is a business management major, is headed to Spain for an internship.
She will return next season to the Lions and eligibility as she pursues her MBA. Since her studies are a two-year program, the second year she’ll join the Lions coaching staff.
So, add the fact that Setaro is a devoted student of the game to her many other remarkable traits.