Brockport’s girls basketball team has had an up and down season featuring a two and three-game losing streak, but a three and four-game winning streak. But that is to be expected when starting an eighth-grader and two freshmen.
But it’s senior Ava Velletri who is leading the squad, playing virtually every minute while leading the points (258), assists (68), steals (50) and, despite not being anywhere near the tallest player on the team at 5’6”, rebounds (166).
And all while her father, Thomas, is on the bench as head coach.
“I love every minute of it; I’ve coached her since she was little with travel, then AAU and now I’m fortunate enough to be able to be her coach in high school,” Thomas Velletri said.
On this particular night – a harder than it should have been victory over winless Batavia – Ava was the only Brockport player in double figures in scoring. She played point guard on offense and down low on defense – a versatile skill set that explains some of the statistical success.
In fact, she is among the top 25 in points in all of Section V and averages over 16 points per game. She also entered the Batavia game third in the entire Section in steals and fourth in rebounds.
“I just try to get the ball and I just want it the most and I try to box out so we can get more offensive time,” Ava said. “Our two quick guards usually guard their two guards and I just try to guard a good rebounder under or scorer just to try to slow them down.”
“She’s not really a point guard, we just don’t have a choice and she’s sacrificed and…she’s done an outstanding job all year taking on that role since most of her career she has played either to two or four,” Thomas said.
Blue Devils junior co-captain Maeve Pettiti and classmate Mia Tyndell have helped offensively, both scoring more than 100 points this season. Tyndell is also over the century mark in rebounds and leads the team in blocked shots while Pettiti is second in steals and third in rebounding.
Brockport’s record after the first five games this season was just 2-3, but they quickly ran off a four-game winning streak to end 2022 before suffering a three-game skid at the start of the 2023 portion of the schedule. Since, they have now won four of their last five games, good momentum with just three games remaining in the regular season before the Section V playoffs begin.
“It’s been up and down for sure; we’ve been in a really good rhythm and I think we’ll pick it up for the end of the season going into sectionals,” Ava said.
And whenever this senior year ends, she will have the memory of her four years on varsity with her dad on the sidelines along with making her first half-court shot to beat the third-quarter buzzer in the Batavia game.
“I wasn’t really looking at the clock until I heard screaming on the countdown and then I realized and looked up and then I just shot it.”
