By David Willis
STAFF WRITER
—
In her career as Andover High's starting point guard, there isn't much Natalie Gomez-Martinez hasn't accomplished.
Over those three years she has played in two state title games — the latter a dominant performance to lead her team to the state crown. She has been an All-Scholastic, a two-time All-Merrimack Valley Conference selection and a two-year captain.
Now, she knows where her career will take her next.
Heading into her senior year with the Golden Warriors, Gomez-Martinez verbally committed to play college basketball at Division 1 Marist College starting in the fall of 2011.
"I know I made the right decision," said the 5-foot-7 point guard. "The basketball program is very impressive and I really like the coaching staff. The day I visited the campus I knew it was the right place for me."
Gomez-Martinez first came into contact with Marist, which is located in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., during her sophomore season with the Golden Warriors. And a little advice from her predecessor at Andover helped her make the final call.
"(Former Andover point guard) Maggie Cosgrove gave me some valuable advice," Gomez-Martinez said. "She said, 'Go with your gut. If you know it is right, go for it.'
"I visited Marist multiple times. I went up on the first week of August, and the next day I called up and gave my verbal commitment."
Sacred Heart, where Cosgrove plays, was a finalist along with Providence, UMass Amherst and Delaware.
Gomez-Martinez said she's excited to play for coach Brian Giorgis, who has led the Red Foxes to four straight NCAA tourney appearances, with a 116-21 record over that stretch.
"He was shocked," she said. "I was his No. 1 recruit for a while. He asked what he could do for me and I said the only thing you need to do is promise that you're staying for all four years, and he said he's signing on for eight more years. We talked about how I could contribute as a freshman."
With her future secure, Gomez-Martinez has now turned her attention to her final high school season.
"It's so weird," she said. "I have trouble believing I'm going to be a senior this fall. When I was a freshmen, the girls told me the four years would fly by, and they did. I'm so excited for one more year, and I want to go out with a bang."
Gomez-Martinez certainly hit the ground running at the varsity level. As a freshman, she won the starting job at point guard, and averaged 9.5 points a game to help lead the Golden Warriors to the Division 1 state title game. She improved to 15.2 points a game as a sophomore, helping Andover to a 18-5 mark.
But her true breakout season came as a junior, when she averaged 16.0 points, 5.6 assists and 4.5 steals. She was never better than in the title game, when she scored a game-high 25 points in a 73-37 drubbing of East Longmeadow in the Division 1 title game. For her efforts, she earned All-Scholastic honors.
After three high school seasons, the guard said her game has improved considerably.
"I think I have grown a lot," she said. "I'm a better shooter and ball-handler. I think I am a much better all-around player now. It really helped to start early. If you looked at a video of me from freshman year, then watched me now, it would look like a different player."
Gomez-Martinez spent much of the summer training for her senior season, including helping her Andover squad win the Hoops for Hope summer league tourney.
Now, she intends to finish her high school career in style — leading Blue and Gold crew that also sports returning stars Nicole Boudreau and Ally Fazio and budding standout Devon Caveney.
"That would be unreal to go out on top," Gomez-Martinez said. "That's the hope. It would be amazing. We lost some great players, but we have a great group coming with Nicole and Ally and a lot of younger players coming up. I'm so anxious for the season to start. It's months away now, but it will be coming up quick."
Natalie Gomez-Martinez at a glance
Size: 5-7
2009-10 season: Averaged 16.0 points, 5.6 assists, 4.5 steals, 4.8 rebounds
Honors: 2009-10 All-Scholastic. Two-time MVC All-Star
Career points: 1,035
Finalists: Marist, Delaware, Providence, UMass Amherst and Sacred Heart
About Marist
Location: Poughkeepsie, N.Y., (Hudson River Valley, 90 miles outside of New York City)
Enrollment: 5,000
Nickname: Red Foxes
Tradition: Made Division 1 NCAA tourney last four years
Conference: Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
