She has all the qualities to become special — maybe even one of the best to ever play for the South Florida women's basketball program — but freshman Vittoria Blasigh said she's determined to not get carried away with vast possibilities.
Blasigh, a 5-foot-9 guard from Udine, Italy, wants to stay grounded in the present. She's working daily to keep improving and helping her Bulls (11-8, 3-3 American Athletic Conference), who host the North Texas Mean Green (14-3, 4-1) in Saturday night's game at the Yuengling Center.
It's a pivotal stretch for the Bulls, who are on a two-game losing streak. After Saturday night, it's an eight-day break until East Carolina visits on Sunday, Jan. 28 for Alumni Day. Blasigh said she understands the urgency.
"Honestly, I am a person who is so hard on myself,'' Blasigh said. "I do not like to make mistakes. I love the game so much, but I am always trying to be perfect."
"I know this is not (realistic). I understand that I have a big role to play here. Sometimes, when I miss a shot, I get very frustrated. I am getting better with my mentality. Now it's like, 'Hey, next play.' But am I driven to do my best always.''
The uncommon determination of Blasigh (pronounced: Blass-ig), who is averaging 15.5 points per game, has been a driving force for the Bulls, who are seeking their 12th consecutive postseason bid in a year of transition.
USF's program has lost a pair of WNBA draft picks (Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu and Elena Tsineke), along with top returner Sammie Puisis, out with a season-ending injury.
Blasigh has become a USF focal point.
"She has grown tremendously since she has been on campus with her conditioning and working with the weights,'' USF coach Jose Fernandez said. "But the bottom line is she can score. She puts the ball in the basket. I think she's going to be really, really good. She's really good right now.''
Blasigh already has a pair of 30-point games (35 against Tulsa, 31 against Gardner-Webb) and four more of at least 21 points. Seven times, she made at least four 3-pointers in a game (including 7-for-12 against North Florida). She's also shooting 86.7 percent from the free-throw line.
"She shoots it like you dream about, like when you are in the arcade and everything is going in and the rim starts glowing and flashing in all different colors,'' Bulls guard Romi Levy said. "Sometimes, I look at her and I'm like, 'Man, I wish I could do that.' It's just fun to watch.''
Blasigh has an excellent mid-range game and loves her step-back jumper. But she has been proficient from long-range as well and can finish around the basket.
"Blasigh doesn't need a lot of time or space to get off her shot,'' said Basketball Hall of Famer Sheryl Swoopes, an ESPN color analyst who worked the USF-Rice game on Jan. 14. "You'd try to deny her the ball, don't even let her touch it. But it's hard to do. She's going to get her points.''
Blasigh, who goes by the nickname of "Vicky,'' has been a big scorer almost since the day she played her first game at age 9. She had been participating in classical dance — at her mother's behest — but her father was a sponsor of a basketball team. When he took her to a game, she was smitten.
"The physical contact, the competition, the team all playing together and having fun together … I loved it all,'' Blasigh said. "My mother supported it. I think she liked my body getting stronger and more coordinated through dance. When I got into the basketball, she was pushing me.''
Blasigh, played for SPAR Gran Canaria in Spain, a first-division program, and said that prepared her perfectly for American college basketball. Fernandez first noticed her in Spain, when he initially wondered if Blasigh might opt for professional basketball over college. Fernandez told her USF's track record for player development would make a difference — and she agreed.
"With her experience, nobody looks at her as a freshman,'' Levy said. "I just want to help keep her on track. You can get lost with all the distractions in your first few years of college."
"I don't worry at all about her skill level or work ethic. If she puts all the distractions aside — and doesn't let people bring her down with negative comments or jealousy — there's no telling how good she can become. Right now, it's all very new and she's still very young.''
Blasigh said she's occasionally homesick for Udine, a northeastern Italian city about an hour north of Venice. Not far from the Slovenian border, Udine is in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic Sea and the Carnic Alps.
"I love my home and miss my parents, but I'm having so much fun at USF,'' said Blasigh, a self-described "shy person'' who has grown more comfortable with her surroundings. "Not that it has been easy. When we started doing the weights, I was just lying on my bed all day, so sore. Coach (Fernandez) is demanding, but I know it's for the best. He's all about making the players better. The work will pay off.''
Otherwise, Blasigh likes to shop and hang out with friends. She cooks and makes a killer Tiramisu dessert. She's also not optimistic about finding any pizza in America that rivals the caliber of her homeland's offerings.
She's a fan of the NBA's Steph Curry, along with the WNBA's Marine Johannes. Her obvious goal is professional basketball, but she's a business major who's conscious of her off-court potential as well.
"I want to be successful,'' Blasigh said. "I'm willing to work hard to get there.''
All the elements are there — including her name.
Vittoria is the Italian alternative to the classic Latin version of Victoria.
It means … triumphant.
