BY Keith Sonia
LYNN ITEM
For some, eye-catching numbers on the stat sheet are enough to call it a good night. For more, 1,000 points would be the key highlight of a successful collegiate basketball career. For Amy Pelletier success is defined by what is accomplished on the court – as a team.
When Pelletier, a senior guard for Stonehill College's women's basketball team, learned she had reached the 1,000-point plateau she was surprised by the statistic, but grateful for her opportunities.
"It's been an amazing four years," said Pelletier, a graduate of Bishop Fenwick. "To get the opportunity to play with these girls and with this coaching staff...I owe it all to them."
The sharpshooter has a 41.3 percent three-point average for her career. The Beverly native views 1,000 points as the culmination of personal growth, but also growth as a team. With the team around her improving each season, Pelletier was able to find her stroke, and bury defenses with daggers from behind the arc.
"Freshman year we were mediocre," Pelletier said. "But I've always had great teammates. We've grown together as a team. From the seniors we lost along the way to the underclassmen we have now, it's been awesome. We've learned from each other, and now we are one of the top teams in the (Northeast-10 Conference)."
Perhaps Pelletier was destined to score a plethora of buckets for the Skyhawks. She was prolific at Bishop Fenwick, going over 1,200 career points. One of her fondest memories is the AAU team on which she played. Lynn's Tori Faieta, a St. Mary's grad, was with her on that team and is now a teammate at Stonehill. Faieta is also a 1,000-point scorer for Stonehill.
"We were rivals, but then we got to play on the same AAU team," said Pelletier. "We even joked about playing on the same college team, and then it actually happened. She is unbelievable under the hoop. If I'm not open on the outside, I know I can get it to her down low. We just work so well together."
Genuine enthusiasm for her teammates and her desire to see them grow along with her led Stonehill coach Trisha Brown to designate Pelletier as a captain this season.
"She's a consummate leader," Brown said. "Her biggest strength is her work ethic. She leads by example and communicates constantly with her teammates, and isn't afraid to push (them)."
Brown is also noted that Pelletier, a finance major, is one of Stonehill's best student athletes.
"She has a 3.5 GPA," Brown said. "She gets on her teammates about the classroom. She does it right … She'll be successful in whatever she chooses to do."
Pelletier tries to not think about the inevitable. This is, after all, her last season at Stonehill.
"We just want to concentrate on having a good regular season and putting ourselves in a great position at the end of the year," she said.
And after graduation?
"A job would be nice," she said, laughing before reflecting on her college career.
"I'm definitely going to miss it," she said. "I'm trying not to think about it."
