Roche is Heat's top hot shot
CRANBERRY TWP— Unable to crack the Pittsburgh Heat's starting lineup, Nicole Roche found another way to make her presence felt at the Youth Basketball of America Girls National Championships recently in Orlando, Fla.
The Cranberry Township resident and incoming Seneca Valley junior won the 15-and-under hot shot individual skills competition at the AAUevent.
Roche beat 21 representatives from other teams to capture the title.
"Her teammates nominated her to represent us in that competition because she is such an outstanding shooter,"said Heat 15-under coach Mark Priviano. "She would have been my choice, too.
"The only reason Nicole doesn't start for us is because she plays the No. 4 spot. We have a girl at that position who's been starting at Gateway High School since she was a freshman.
The hot shot competition gives a player one minute to score as many baskets as possible from designated spots on the floor. A layup is worth one point, a shot from the wing is worth two, a free throw three and a 3-pointer seven.
Each of the 22 teams nominated a player from its respective squad to enter the competition. Participants had to get their own rebounds, dribble the ball out to the shooting spots and were not permitted to take more than two layups after making a shot from outside.
"Nicole hit a bunch of shots from the wing to get through the preliminary round,"Priviano said. "There wasn't much of a crowd then. For the final round, the gym was packed and Nicole put on a show."
Roche sank nine shots during the finals, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer to seal her victory.
"I wasn't surprised the girls chose me,"Roche said. "They always tease me that I never miss a shot. That's not true, of course, but offense is my strong point.
"I'm the first player off the bench and I'm usually put in the game to score."
Roche was on the varsity team at Seneca Valley last winter, but saw limited playing time. She averaged nearly 12 points per game for the junior varsity squad.
She was in the Raiders' eight-player rotation during the team's summer league this year. Seneca Valley lost to New Castle in the league title game.
Roche stands only 5-feet-7, but plays a forward position.
"We don't have anybody taller than 5-9,"Seneca Valley girls basketball coach Kelly Mathews said. "Our spots are wide open for next season and Nicole is in that mix. She's a pretty accurate shooter.
"She's an intelligent kid who knows the game well. She's always asking the coaches what she can do to improve and how she can get more playing time. A coach likes that kind of kid."
This was Roche's first year with the Pittsburgh Heat, though she has been playing AAUbasketball since sixth grade. She previously played for the Velocity Rush in Gibsonia.
Seneca Valley teammate Aly Eagle played for the Heat's 16-and-under team this season and told Roche about the program. Eagle and Roche are the only two Raiders who play summer AAUbasketball.
Founded by John Polino five years ago, the Pittsburgh Heat organization, based in McCandless Township, started with two teams and now has eight.
The 15-and-under team was eliminated during the double-elimination tournament, but one of Roche's teammates, Katrina Owuuna of Mount Alvernia, won the individual foul shooting competition.
Roche said she will return to the organization next summer. In the meantime, she's getting ready for the high school basketball season, followed by lacrosse. She scored nine goals for the Raiders' section championship lacrosse team last spring.
"It's a confidence boost,"she said of winning the national hot shot title. "I know I can shoot the ball."
