After two seasons of just missing the playoffs, St. Joseph’s University (Brooklyn) Women’s basketball coach Joe Giacchi believes his team has the goods to reverse its fortune and make the postseason in 2026-27.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!You see, the Bears have lost only two players and have a year more of experience under their collective belt. Not to mention the special, unbreakable bond they have formed, Giacchi said.
“We can be a postseason season team. I think this team is really prime to be special this year,” Giacchi said. “We have the team-first attitude. It is one of the closet teams I’ve had.”
Moreover, St. Joe’s owns the horses to bring it a playoff berth.
Back is sensational senior guard Mercedes Perez, who averaged 17.96 points and 5.16 rebounds per game and scored her 1,000 point against UMSV at home last year.
“She’s one of the best scoring guards in the (Skyline) Conference,” Giacchi said. “She came back in great shape. We’re going to rely on her to put the ball in the basket for us. She was a second team All-Conference player. The goal is to make first conference. When she’s doing her thing, we’re the best version of ourselves.”
Next is 5-foot-10 forward Nikki Grech, who averaged 8.50 points and 8.33 rebounds per contest last campaign. Giacchi is extremely high on her potential and is looking forward to her elevated production this year, especially being the type of player with ice water in her veins, he noted.
“Nikki Grech is a beast,” he said. “She is not the tallest, the most athletic. But she can rebound with the best. She has a determination and toughness. I’m really looking forward to seeing what she can do. She’s the best rebounder in the league. She’s consistent, she’s unflappable.”
Another impact player is the 5-foot-11 Italian-born Emma Centrella, who put up 7.48 points and 8.28 rebounds per game last year. Centrella’s coachability and basketball skills make her a coach’s dream.
“Emma could have a breakout year,” Giacchi said. “She’s a very hard worker, and came in, in great shape. She’s very happy here, and it shows. I’ll ask her to jump over the water from Brooklyn to Manhattan, and she’ll do her best to do it”
Tyrah Mack, a 6-foot-4 sophomore center, is another intriguing player, per Giacchi.
“She’s been practicing really well,” Giacchi said. “We expect a lot from her. We certainly have high hopes for her.”
Additionally, as for new players, there is freshman Kayla Donovan, a shooting guard out of St. Francis Preparatory School in Flushing, Queens. Donovan’s overall hardwood skills, especially her sniping ability and take control attitude, have impressed Giacchi.
“She’s not the biggest player, but she brings toughness,” he said. “She shoots the ball really well and has great leadership.”
Also, there is 5-foot-9 sophomore Rebekka Hjalmarsdottir, a division 2 Edinboro University transfer. Giacchi said that her size and strength at the No. 2 spot will create mismatches.
“I think this could be a good fit,” he said. “She can do a little bit of everything. She can score in a bunch of different ways. She’ll be a matchup problem because she has the size of a post player in our league but is a guard.”
Another transfer is Sophia Lyder, a 5-foot-6 talented, quick guard from Poughquag, N.Y., who starred at Arlington High School (N.Y.) and on her AAU team, Hoopers N.Y. She was formerly with D2 Lees McCrae. Giacchi said she has shown a measure of promise.
“She seems to be a good fit and should do well with more playing time,” the Hazlet, New Jersey, resident said.
Savana Zagoreos, a freshman three-sports athlete, will provide some depth for the Bears.
“She’s probably the best athlete on the team,” Giacchi said. “But she’s a work in progress.”
Also, Ana Rosa Herreros, a 5-foot-8 freshman guard from Córdoba, Spain, possesses a lot of skills. She could figure to come off the bench and spell other players without missing a beat.
“She can shoot the ball,” Giacchi said. “She’s in good shape; she doesn’t get tired. She does everything at max effort.”
Rounded out the squad is a group of capable players including senior Judith Vila, who averaged 4.20 points and 2.12 rebounds per game last season. Plus, senior Domenika Sanchez (6.76 points, 2.92 boards per contest), and junior Gabriella Cinque, an ex-Tottenville High School player (2.00 points and 2.17 rebounds per tilt).
Confident that St. Joe’s has improved, Giacchi believes the shoe may be on the other foot for its Skyline Conference foes and other opponents this time around. The steady climb each year has it bearing witness and been a testament to the hard work he and his players have put in over the last three-plus seasons.
“I think we caught up to the better teams,” he said. “They’ll have to catch up to us. The seniors on my team then (in my first year), they’ve been through a lot. But they’ve gotten better each year. I expect that this year.”
The Bears will scrimmage Brooklyn College on Thursday, October 29th at 7:00 p.m. Then, kickoff the season at home on Friday, November 6th at 5:00 p.m. against Pratt in the St. Joseph’s (Brooklyn) Tip-Off Tournament,
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Photos: St. Joe’s Athletics.
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