Mendieta begins season with a bang
North Bergen sharpshooter shows everyone her true talents
There were some followers of the North Bergen girls’ basketball program who were worried about whether the Bruins had someone to replace the graduated Denise DiPaolo as the team’s leading scorer. After all, DiPaolo averaged close to 18 points per game in each of the last two seasons and earned Hudson Reporter All-Area honors both years.
But head coach Dan Reardon knew that he had a star in the making in junior Betty Mendieta.
"A lot of people weren’t sure how good Betty was, but I told everyone, ‘You wait until next year,’" said Reardon, who has been the head coach of the North Bergen girls’ program for the last 13 years. "She was accepting her role with the team last year, but I knew that she would be fine. I knew that Betty was a player."
Mendieta, who earned Third Team All-Area honors last year, averaging nearly 10 points per game for the Bruins, knew that her role would increase with the departure of DiPaolo.
"I knew I had to step it up," said Mendieta, a 5-6 junior guard. "Denise was a very good player for us, but I knew that they were going to count on me more. So I worked a lot in the off-season to get ready."
Mendieta spent most of the summer playing with the New York Gauchos, a prestigious AAU team out of the Bronx which features a lot of the best players in the New York metropolitan area. Mendieta went to the tryouts on a whim and ended up sticking with the team, playing in national tournaments in Las Vegas and Washington, D.C.
"It was a good experience for me, getting to see what kind of players they have all over the country," Mendieta said. "I knew it was going to be hard to make the team, but I tried hard and I guess I was eventually good enough to make the team. I got in as part of the regular rotation and we just went from there."
Although Mendieta wasn’t one of the better players on the team, she did get her fair share of playing time with the Gauchos, as the lone Hudson County player on the team. She also said that she gained a lot of experience and confidence, playing with and against the best female players in the land.
"It really helped me with my defense, which is what I feel is my strong point," Mendieta said. "Because they can all dribble well and they’re all quick, it made me work hard to keep up with them. And it really helped my confidence. I was so psyched to start the season, to show people what I did in the off-season."
Reardon could sense right away that he had a much-improved player on his hands.
"I knew that Betty was going to be good, but I knew that the summer would make her even better," Reardon said. "She had all the tools to be a good player. The work had to improve her even more. She has such a great work ethic, so I knew she would be ready to start the season."
Mendieta was more than ready. She scored 29 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and had five steals in a season-opening defeat to Paterson Catholic, then followed it up with 24 points, seven rebounds, five assists and five steals in a victory over Kearny.
Mendieta’s two-game explosion to start the season has earned her The Hudson Reporter Athlete of the Week honors – the first such honoree in the 2001-2002 winter scholastic sports season. The weekly feature will culminate in June with the 12th annual Athlete of the Year award. By being selected, Mendieta becomes a candidate to receive the annual award.
Reardon called Mendieta’s performance as "the two best games back-to-back I’ve seen in all my years of coaching."
"She was the whole package," Reardon said. "She handled everything. It was clearly the best I’ve seen in two games and they were against good teams to start the season. I’m not surprised with what Betty did, but it was more than what I expected."
Reardon said that he couldn’t be happier for the player whom he dubbed "the All-American girl."
"She’s an honors student and a workaholic in everything she does," Reardon said. "She is so easily coachable and is willing to accept criticism. She has such a super personality that she’s a joy to be around. Plus, she has pretty good skills. But her determination, her serious approach, is a joy to watch, because she’s so very mature. I told her the other day in practice that all the hard work she’s put in is beginning to pay off."
Reardon said that he is impressed with the way Mendieta just takes over games.
"Especially for a guard, it’s so hard to go get rebounds and then take it up the floor in transition," Reardon said. "But she’s a tremendous rebounder and she’s so strong that people just bounce off her."
Mendieta said that she enjoys the faith that Reardon has placed in her.
"I like being able to push the ball up the floor and get easy shots," Mendieta said. "I like to be able to use my speed. Coach Reardon lets me take the ball when I get the chance. In our offense, I can get open by pushing it up."
Reardon said that Mendieta’s performance is so crucial to the Bruins, who lost most of last year’s team to graduation.
"Last year’s kids aren’t around anymore," Reardon said. "We needed Betty to step it up. She’s so tenacious that I can see her as a point guard in college. A lot of people don’t know who she was, but they know her now."
"I just want it to continue this way," Mendieta said. "Starting strong has been a boost to my confidence. I just hope it stays that way." – Jim Hague