WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL: TOMASSO FINDING SUCCESS FOR NATIONALLY-RANKED ST. JOHN FISHER (2022-01-16)

By Brian Fees
Valley Sports Report
When Sidney Tomasso started her varsity career at Waverly, she played off the ball as one of the team’s best outside shooters.

Over time, her role grew and by her last season she was often running the offense and spending her time setting up teammates and getting to the basket.

Now, she’s a freshman in college and in a lot of ways it’s like she’s back in eighth grade, playing off the ball and spotting up as an outside threat for St. John Fisher.

“Last year (her senior year at Waverly), I tended to play the one (point guard) sometimes,” Tomasso said. “This year, coach has basically put me at the two or three, so it is kind of the same (as when she started her high school career).

Tomasso has made 13 threes on the year, third on the team, and she is averaging 8.6 points a game as a starter for the Cardinals.

“It is really nice, I have great teammates,” Tomasso said. “We all move the ball really well, it’s really nice.”

There definitely have been a lot of adjustments going from the high school to the college game for the former Waverly star.

“I think the pace is definitely faster, and obviously some bigger girls,” Tomasso said. “Teams probably play better defense, so it is definitely tougher. But, I’m happy to be here and happy to grow as a player.”

While teams play better defense at the college level, Tomasso was used to being the focal point of defenses in high school and that isn’t happening as much now.

“It’s definitely been a change,” she said. “I feel like I get a lot more open shots. But, it’s been super fun, it’s a really nice team, so it’s been so easy, honestly.”

The Fisher women are off to a special start this year, going 12-1 to begin the season.

“I love it so far,” Tomasso said. “It’s so fun. The girls on the team were so welcoming and the coaches have been great. It’s been an easy transition honestly.”

And, that success has led to a national ranking for the Cardinals, as they were 25th in the nation in the latest poll.

“It’s pretty cool, we try not to focus on that though,” Tomasso said. “We try and take each game at a time, get our wins and we have been doing pretty well so far, so we hope to keep it up.”

One of the biggest things in college is being on a team where everyone was a standout in high school. For Tomasso, that has led to being part of a team where everyone can contribute.

“Our whole bench is capable of great things, everyone is really solid, so we have a good team,” Tomasso said. “Coach has not put pressure, but she has high expectations for us. All the freshman, we normally get in, those expectations are why we all perform.”

Tomasso isn’t the only former IAC player on the roster. Newfield’s Kelly and Katie Moravec are also both freshen on the team, while Dryden’s Amy Gardner is a senior.

For Tomasso, it did make things easier coming in to have other girls from the area on the roster.

“It was nice, specially to start off with the Moravec twins here,” Tomasso said. “Just to have them there at the beginning was nice.

“It was fun, especially at the start when we are getting use to everyone. It was nice to have them there, we all know how to play.”

Saturday was a bit of a homecoming for Tomasso as she made the trip back to the area with her new teammates as they played at Elmira College.

“It was really nice, my whole team, the Waverly team, was here, so it was nice to see everyone,” Tomasso said.

And, the game had a bit of a Waverly-Tioga high school feel as Olivia Ayres plays for Elmira, and the two defended each other for parts of the game.

“It was nice to see her and to play against her,” Tomasso said.

This isn’t the first time Tomasso has seen a former high school opponent at the college game, and it’s always nice to go against a familiar face in college.

“It’s fun, everyone has definitely improved a lot, college obviously does that, so it’s fun to see everyone,” Tomasso said.

St. John Fisher heads into the heart of their Empire 8 schedule now, heading to Alfred and to Ithaca in the next 10 days, along with a home game against Houghton during that stretch.

For Tomasso, she’s ready to see what this team can do.

IN TOP PHOTO: Waverly grad Sidney Tomasso shoots a three for St. John Fisher. . . PHOTOS BY BRIAN FEES