April 19, 2020
Santa Monica CA.
Two of Santa Monica College's top Women's Basketball players will continue their playing careers together at the NAIA Division II level as Nina Gazzo and Ariana Quintana have accepted scholarships.
Both players will attend La Sierra University in Riverside to join the Golden Eagles and play for Head Coach Kevin Mitchell. The Eagles finished last season with a 16-14 record while advancing to the Cal Pac Championship semi-finals.
"We are very excited about the signing of sophomores center, Nina Gazzo and guard, Ariana Quintana" stated Coach Mitchell. Both young ladies will be key contributors to us continuing to build our women's basketball program! Nina will help us fill a void we were missing at the post position and Ariana will help us open up the floor with her shooting ability and extended range! After speaking with Coach Strong and getting to know these young ladies, we knew we were getting two high character student-athletes who will continue to grow their basketball skill sets and thrive in our system! We really pride ourselves on recruiting high character student-athletes who do not have a ceiling to their hunger and feel they will be great components for our continuous improvement! Coach Strong is truly an ambassador for her student-athletes and the game of basketball! We are looking forward to complimenting Nina's and Ariana's basketball experience with Santa Monica Community College and look forward to the next few years with them! La Sierra University is blessed to have them as a part of our institution and our family!"
Both Gazzo a 6'3" center from Hamilton High School in Los Angeles and Quintana a 5'6" Guard out of Taft High School in Woodland Hills were first team All Western State Selections as freshman and were both two year starters at Santa Monica College.
Santa Monica College Head Coach Lydia Strong is thrilled that both girls are moving on to the next level. "This is what you work hard for and both girls have done that here at SMC. I'm proud of both of them and think they will both contribute positively to the program that Coach Mitchell at La Sierra is building. I'm looking forward to seeing both of them play and excel. Of course we will miss them but they came here to get an opportunity to earn a scholarship and both accomplished their goals here."
Ariana Quintana reflects on her time here at SMC and beyond:
How does it feel to reach a lifelong dream of earning a basketball scholarship?
It definitely feels great to have the opportunity to continue my basketball journey. I am very grateful for the coaching staff at Santa Monica College and my teammates who helped and supported me throughout this entire season and the recruiting process. I am also very grateful for the help of the coaching staff throughout my 2 years at Santa Monica College. I am thankful for the opportunity and for the scholarship La Sierra offered and very happy that I accomplished one of my goals.
What were some of the reasons you chose La Sierra University?
One factor is because La Sierra University is closer to home. My family, close friends, and teammates will still be able to come out to show the team and I their support at some of the close games. I am happy that I can still be close to family, friends, and teammates while starting a new journey. My major is kinesiology and another reason I chose La Sierra is because they have a great kinesiology program and it would be beneficial to my future career. Another major factor is because of the coaching staff. They continuously reached out throughout my recruiting process and provided a lot of important information about the school and the basketball program. They were really helpful throughout the entire process and I am very excited to start this new journey with La Sierra.
What are some of the other schools that were recruiting you?
My first initial plan was to attend a College/University out of state. Throughout my recruiting process the majority of the schools that showed interest were out of state. McPherson College in Kansas was one of the main schools that was attentive. I am appreciative of the coach because he was very helpful, kept in close contact, and showed great interest. I am thankful for all the schools that showed their interest and I am very grateful for the opportunity to continue playing basketball.
What were your parents, family and friends reaction to you getting the scholarship?
I had first shared the news with my family. They knew my plan was to leave California so when I told them I was going to attend La Sierra, they were very excited because I was going to stay close to home and they would be able to show up at some of the games. I have a very close relationship with my sisters so they were really happy when I shared the news. I then told my close friends and teammates. They were thrilled to find out I was staying in California and that they would also be able to show their support at some of the close games.
What are your goals at La Sierra? One of my goals at La Sierra is to develop in every aspect of the game. I am open to learning a lot more from the coaching staff and future teammates. I am very excited to gain better knowledge and progress my game. Another goal collectively would be to go really far and win a championship! Not only do I want to progress my abilities on the court, but in the classrooms as well. I want to maintain focus on and off the court. My main goal academically would be to get my diploma and explore options beneficial to my future career.
Nina Gazzo reflects on her time at SMC and beyond:
How does it feel to reach a lifelong dream of earning a basketball scholarship?
This opportunity of getting a scholarship is amazing. I am happy to have earned whatever scholarship that was given to me because I worked for it. I understand not everyone gets this opportunity but I am grateful to receive what has been worked for. These past 2 years at SMC were something to remember but I'm happy to have received this and thankful for the people that have supported me throughout this process.
What were some of the reasons you chose La Sierra University?
There are a few reasons why I chose La Sierra, one reason would be that it is close to home. With this I can still see my parents and family, also they can come to some of my games and support me and the team. Another reason that I chose this school is because the coaching staff seems like they will help and support anyone on the team. They also have a really good background and throughout this whole recruitment process they were so helpful and I learned so many things that I never knew before. The last factor is because of their kinesiology program, this is a great program and will help me further in my career.
What are some of the other schools that were recruiting you?
Through this process a large number of schools that had interest in me were all out of state and some in state. The school that really kept up with me was McPherson College. I was grateful for all the colleges that had interest in me and blessed that I even got this opportunity to continue to play and so many schools wanted me.
What were your parents, family and friends' reaction to you getting the scholarship?
When I first decided to commit to La Sierra I didn't tell anyone because I wanted all my family to hear at the same time. I told my family on Facetime and when they heard they were all excited, they knew that I wanted to go out of state but they were happy that I was staying close to home. Then when I told my team and close friends they were also happy because I was staying close since they didn't want me to go out of state and that I was still able to see them.
What are your goals at La Sierra?
My goal is to get better and make more progress. I want to get my diploma and learn as much as I can in basketball. I just want to learn and expand on every level of basketball. I started playing later than most people who play basketball but all I know is that all I can do is get better and work harder than my competition. So in total my goal is to work as hard as I can, learn as much as I can, to get my diploma, and a championship.