If waiting one's turn and adapting one's game for the sake of the team are virtues that are to be valued, then Christina Marinacci has a huge future on the next level.
The 6-foot-2 wing averaged 26.4 points during her sophomore season at Foothills High School in Santa Ana, Calif. But Marinacci filled a role as first off the bench for her club team, the Cal Swish Black, and, moreover, supported her upperclass teammates in their roles as primary scorers.
Christina Marinacci
When called upon, Marinacci certainly could do that herself - score, that is. She is comfortable with the dribble and has a solid pull-up jumper with range. She also can attack the rim, particularly on the break, and is a nice finisher with either hand.
Ranked No. 17 in the HoopGurlz Super Sixty for the 2009 class, Marinacci is along, fluid athlete with very good speed. Her taking the ball upcourt against the bulldoggish pressure of Skylar Diggins, the South Bend, Ind., guard who is the No. 4 player in the class, was one of the more impressive things I saw a player do this past summer. Marinacci also showed good court vision, using her height for additional sight lines, and an ability to deliver the ball to teammates.
Though she has the height to perhaps play forward, Marinacci plays and thinks like a wing. She doesn't instinctively rebound, for example, often not pursuing angles or the ball when another player's shot flies. She also did not show an affinity for physical play.
Those are just quibbles, however. It will be exciting to see Marinacci in an expanded role as Top Gun on one of the consistently accomplished club teams next spring and summer, as well as with her high-school team.
Glenn Nelson is the founder and publisher of HoopGurlz.com. He is a member of the McDonald's All-American Selection Committee and SportsShooter.com (Click for Porfolio [1]), Asian American Journalists Association, National Association of Photoshop Professionals, National Press Photographers Association and Online News Association. Glenn also founded and coached the Dragons and Northwest HoopGurlz select girl's basketball teams and previously was the editor-in-chief at Scout.com and a longtime, national-award-winning basketball columnist and writer for The Seattle Times. His work has appeared in several books and national magazines. He is co-author of "Rising Stars: The Ten Best Players in the NBA" (Rosen Publishing, 2002). For more on Glenn's World, click here [1]. Glenn can be reached at glenn@hoopgurlz.com [2].