Faieta ’15 Honored as “Hero Among Us” by Celtics


Faieta '15 with Celtics Isaiah Thomas as well as Jerian Grant and Langston Galloway from the Knicks. (PHOTO COURTESY Boston Celtics)

Women's basketball All-American recognized during Sunday night's game against Knicks at TD Garden

PHOTO GALLERY 

EASTON, Mass. (December 29, 2015) – Recent Stonehill College women's basketball graduate and All-American Tori Faieta '15, who is currently a member of theLeicester Riders from the Women's British Basketball League (WBBL) in England, was recognized by the Boston Celtics on Sunday night as its Massachusetts State Lottery "Hero Among Us."

Faieta, who was born deaf and told not to play team sports at a young age, was honored during Sunday night's game at TD Garden against the New York Knicks for the inspirational way she has dealt with her hearing loss. The Lynn, Massachusetts, native led Saint Mary's High School to a State Championship her senior year before enjoying an outstanding four-year career at Stonehill, capped by a spot on the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II Coaches' All-America team her senior year. Last summer, she led theUSA Women's Deaf Basketball Team to a gold medal at the World Deaf Basketball Championships in Taiwan. She then signed a professional contract with the Leicester Riders of the WBBL.


Faieta was introduced to the TD Garden crowd during the second quarter. (PHOTO COURTESY Saint Mary's HS)

Established as an initiative of the Boston Celtics in 1997, Heroes Among Us honors individuals who have made an overwhelming impact on the lives of others. The Heroes Among Us Award is presented to an individual or individuals who, through their unique commitment and humanitarian spirit, have made exceptional and lasting contributions to our community. At every home game, the Celtics and their fans have saluted the exemplary efforts of these citizens during a special in-game presentation on the legendary parquet floor.

Faieta completed a standout career at Stonehill which saw her also named as a Division II Bulletin All-American following her senior season. The Daktronics All-East Region pick and three-time All-Northeast-10 selection, including unanimous first team honors as a senior, finished her four year career at Stonehill ranked 13th in program history with 1,402 points, while her 215 career blocked shots rank second all-time and her 880 rebounds third in program history. Her 103 career games started ranks third all-time and her .497 field goal percentage fifth.

Faieta's 302 rebounds her senior year rank second on the program's all-time single-season list (just ten shy of former All-American and Stonehill Hall of Famer Suzanne Patchett's '97 single-season record of 312 in 1996-97), while her 10.4 rebounds per game finished just 0.1 shy of Julie Stockwell's '00 single-season mark of 10.5. Faieta's career-high matching 62 blocks last winter is tied for third on the program's all-time single-season list, just 11 shy of Kelsey Simonds' 10 record of 73 in 2007-08. Faieta was named to the NE-10 All-Rookie team as a freshman and has earned NE-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll status six semesters and Athletic Director's Honor Roll one semester for her performance in the classroom.

Faieta averaged a team-high 14.9 points per game over Team USA's seven games at the World Deaf Championships last summer, ranking sixth among all scorers at the Championships. Team USA won all seven of its games in the tournament, earning a top seed after posting a 4-0 mark in pool play. Faieta led USA with a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds in the championship game against Lithuania as she made 7-of-12 shots from the floor and went 1-for-2 at the free-throw line in 22 minutes. She scored a tournament-high 20 points in USA's 76-37 win over Greece in the semifinals as she shot 8-of-9 from the floor and 4-for-6 at the free-throw line.

Stonehill (7-4, 3-3 NE-10), ranked sixth in the most recent D2SIDA East Regional poll, is back in action Wednesday evening when it hosts Bloomfield College, ranked tenth in the region, for a non-conference matchup at Merkert Gymnasium at 6 p.m. The Skyhawks return to Northeast-10 play on Saturday with a key battle at rival Bentley University, ranked fourth in the region, in Waltham, Massachusetts, at 1:30 p.m.

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