Samantha Wattawa was in position for a change in role when this season began.
The Fort Lewis junior forward had been a backup post-player her first two years. Skyhawks coach Taylor Harris had plans of playing Wattawa more as a guard with numerous options in the frontcourt with returners like senior forward Kelsey Sorenson, sophomore forward Kate Gallery and transfer junior forward Sydney Bevington.
But the injury bug hit Fort Lewis like a plague. Sorenson injured her knee and missed five games. Bevington only played six games before her season ended with an ankle injury. So Wattawa had to get in the middle of the 2-3 zone and help out once again.
“Sometimes players can get frustrated when the role that they thought they were going to have doesn't really come to place,” Harris said. “She's just bought in completely and her and I have had multiple conversations where she's said ‘I will play the point guard and I will play the center. Whatever you need me to do I will do because I just want to play.’ I truly believe when you have somebody that has that mindset and is just bought into helping the team, they naturally just play better and good things come their way.”
Good things have come Wattawa’s and the team’s way.
Entering Friday’s matchup with Colorado Mesa, she’s averaging 6.4 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game in 27.2 minutes per game primarily coming off the bench. Wattawa averaged just 1.6 rebounds per game as a freshman and 1.3 boards per game as a sophomore.
In the last three games, Wattawa tallied a team-high eight, nine and 11 rebounds, respectively, off the bench for the Skyhawks, mostly to replace Sorenson in the middle of the 2-3 zone when Sorenson gets into foul trouble.
Harris said Wattawa’s skill set at 5-foot-10 with long arms and athleticism has allowed her to sub in for any player who’s in early foul trouble, regardless of the position.
Wattawa has an undersized frame for a forward at the NCAA Division II level, but she and Harris both said her desire and drive to get rebounds is really what has helped her.
Wattawa said she’s a very defensive-focused player who prides herself in being in the right position for rebounds.
“I've been just taking that role and going with it for the team and just like going back to what I've been taught in the past and just playing with heart because of how much bigger and taller everyone is,” Wattawa said. “I just have to try be a little tricky and sneaky and just try to outwork them and get that position before they can get it against me first.”
Whether it’s Sorenson or Wattawa, the player in the middle of the 2-3 zone has to communicate with their teammates and disrupt passes toward the basket. Wattawa said her soccer background has helped her defensively.
“With soccer, you don't really make passes that are like no look unlike basketball and you can't really pass fake,” Wattawa said. “So just trying to have that anticipation of where the ball is going to go before the pass is already made, has definitely helped me.”
Harris likes having Wattawa in the middle of the zone but lets her decide whether she wants to be on the wing or stay put.
“I also really like (that) Kate's on the wing,” Harris said. “Just because then it's just that extra 4 inches contesting a 3. Sam does a great job contesting those 3s but then if we're going to leave our feet to contest the 3, I like Sam still being inside there because that's six rebounds that leave in their feet to contest the 3.”
Although the Skyhawks are still getting out-rebounded by a 6.3 margin, Harris isn’t too concerned with his team’s rebounding right now. He wants to keep working on the team’s strengths of forcing turnovers, getting to the free-throw line and contesting opponents’ 3-pointers because those areas are leading to their success.
The success is evident as the Skyhawks have the most wins in a season since 2019-20, in small part due to Wattawa’s effort on the boards.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
