|
Gorski reaches scoring milestone
Release Date: December 10, 2008
 MONMOUTH,
Ill. –
Monmouth College senior guard
Melissa Gorski (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) permanently
etched her name into the Fighting Scots record books last week,
becoming only the seventh woman in the history of the basketball
program to score 1,000 points.
“She’s worked very hard over her
four years to become more of an offensive threat,” said Melissa
Bittner of her star player, who averaged over 12 ppg as a freshman.
“She came from a great program at Buffalo Grove. You could see as a
freshman she had that scoring potential and came in with solid
fundamentals.”
Gorski’s historic basket at Ripon
came as most of the 5-foot-9 wing player’s points have over her four
years – slashing and scoring in the paint. Needing just 11 points
going into the game, Gorski put in the magic shot midway through the
second half.
“She’s a great penetrator,” said
Bittner. “‘Mitt’ is probably one of the best penetrators in the
Midwest Conference.”
That style of play has resulted in
Gorski making a team-leading 47 trips to the foul line this season
where she has knocked down 77 percent of her free throws. She also
leads the team with a 15.1 scoring average and has averaged just
over 13 ppg for her career.
“She is probably one of the best
all-around players our program has ever seen,” said Bittner.
The coach should know. Bittner is
the third-leading scorer in Fighting Scots history, pouring in 1,318
points. At her current pace, Gorski could wind up just behind her
coach in total points. Bittner also has the career free throw mark,
something Gorski is also chasing.
“‘Mitt’ can score, she’s a top
defender and a great rebounder for a guard,” praised Bittner. “She’s
led the team in assists and she’s ranked in the top ten of the
conference in nearly every category. She’s just a solid all-around
player.”
Gorki’s total value to the Scots is
evidenced not by her scoring, rebounding or free throw stats, but by
the amount of time she spends on the court. The senior averages
nearly 36 minutes per game this season and more than 31 minutes for
her career.
“She rarely leaves the court,”
reported Bittner. “That says something about her ability.”
Women's
Basketball
|
