The Rocket

Issue date: 3/2/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Submitted Photo Amanda Nero

The 2006-2007 season was a year of transition for Rock women's basketball guard Amanda Nero.

Nero, a sophomore, spent last year as a bench player, putting up mediocre points while seeing scarce playing time, but exploded this past season, leading the team in nearly every offensive category.

The 5-foot 8-inch shooting guard finished the season as SRU's leading scorer with 10.1 points per game, which ranks her 30th in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference this year, as the Rock went 9-17 overall and 3-9 in the PSAC West.

Nero concluded her surprising second year with the Rock, scoring a career-high 22 points in the final game of the season last Sunday against Clarion in a 76-74 loss.

After receiving the nod to become an everyday player from coach Laurel Heilman, Nero has become the most consistent offensive threat for the Rock, leading the team with 699 minutes of playing time, which is nearly 27 minutes per game, and tripling nearly all of her season statistics from one year ago.

Nero was devastating beyond the arc, leading the team with 41 three pointers, with a shooting percentage of 35, which places her ninth in the PSAC this winter.

Not to confuse Nero as a one-dimensional player. She held her own in the paint as well. Nero led the team in field goal percentage as well, scoring on 84-233 tries to the glass for a 36 field goal percentage. She also shot 79 percent from the free throw line and was second on the team in assists with 43.

Nero's tale is a familiar one in college sports, spending her first season coming off the bench to back up a four-year starter.

When asked about her freshman year, Nero said she learned a lot coming off the bench.

"Last year was a learning year," Nero said. "I got to kick back and adjust to the speed of the game."

Apparently, it did not take Nero long to adapt. Before posting this past season's spectacular numbers, Nero put up 80 points after playing 21 games and only averaging nine minutes a game in her freshman year.

This type of talent did not just appear out of nowhere, but was molded out of dedication and lots of sweat during the off-season.

"I work hard all-year round," Nero said. "In the summer, I try to go to as many camps as possible and practice on my game a lot."

Heilman has taken notice of the effort put in by Nero.

Continued...

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