Start to finish, Otero puts the go in Vandals
At first glance, Charlotte Otero would seem the least likely basketball player to lead the NCAA in anything.
Steals, maybe; pest, possibly.
But last season the 5-foot-3 Idaho senior averaged 40.6 minutes a game, spending a total of 4 minutes on the bench as the Vandals went 13-15 with three overtime games.
“It’s amazing,” second-year UI coach Jon Newlee said. “It was a big concern, (but) it was out of necessity. I only had six players and the sixth player was a post rotation sub. This year we have a little more depth. I’m going to give her more rest.”
Otero played 40 minutes in the season-opening loss to Gonzaga on Monday and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It was a lot of fun,” she said. “We practice hard every day … so to me the game is like a day off. Sometimes I feel like I’m getting tired, but a (timeout) is good enough for me.”
Otero is the Western Athletic Conference active leader in career assists and is on UI’s top-10 list, a nice accomplishment for a player no one wanted coming out of San Diego High School.
“It was either come here or a junior college in Arizona,” she said. “My high school coach had to convince me to come out on a visit. When I came out here, I loved it. Something about this small-time atmosphere got to me.”
In fact, once she gets her business marketing degree with a minor in advertising she just might stay.
“If I got the right opportunity, I wouldn’t mind staying out here,” she said. “Moscow is like a new home for me.”
She maintained her positive attitude through some turmoil, with the coach who recruited her, Mike Divilibiss, leaving and Newlee coming in.
“Idaho gave me a chance when no other school gave me a chance, I’m just not going to back out on the school because of the coaching change,” she said. “If the coach still wants me here, I’m going to play hard for him. He came in and decided to play much more to my speed, much more to my liking.”
Newlee, a San Diego native who was at Idaho State, obviously knew Otero and what she could offer his new program.
“She’s really quick, has really good handles,” he said. “Being as low to the floor as she is, she doesn’t get picked off the dribble. She’s really, really tough physically, real feisty. She gets after it.”
The Vandals suffered a blow when all-leaguer Derisa Taleni suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason, but it didn’t change Otero’s goals.
“With Derisa out it just means everyone else has to step it up,” Otero said. “I think we’re very capable of doing that. … We’re a team. When I leave here, I want to have helped the team get to the next level and for them to keep going from there.”
Pack the Mac
Gonzaga (1-1) is hoping to fill McCarthey Athletic Center when USC (1-1) and Washington (0-2) visit Thursday and Sunday, respectively.
Tennessee’s visit last December produced a sellout of 6,000 and 5,825 attended Senior Night the season the MAC opened.
No matter what the crowd, it will be a special weekend for Lewis and Clark graduate Katelan Redmon, who started as a Husky freshman before transferring to GU.
“It’s just another game, another opportunity,” the redshirt sophomore said. “I’m moving forward. The team will make sure we don’t lose that game, that’s for sure. They’re an improving team. It will be fun to see what they’ve got. There are no hard feelings.”
Idaho (0-1) is at Eastern Washington (1-1) Thursday and Corban College visits EWU Saturday. Washington State (1-0) is at Kansas State (0-2) Friday and Nebraska (2-0) Sunday.
Tip-ins
Gonzaga is shy two freshmen. Brittany Gray left the team and Kaitlyn Petersen broke her left wrist in the preseason. … Idaho’s Taleni had Monday’s surgery postponed because her knee was still swollen. … North Idaho College gets right into Scenic West Conference games this week, with Snow and Salt Lake visiting Thursday and Saturday, respectively. SLCC beat the No. 1- and No. 6-ranked teams last week. … Gonzaga coach Kelly Graves and USC first-year coach Michael Cooper played basketball at New Mexico.