SWAMPSCOTT — Swampscott girls basketball star Nikki Rosa prioritized two main aspects as she searched for where to continue her hoops career at the next level. The first was a school that offered a welcoming campus where she could see herself fitting in. The second was a women’s basketball program moving in the right direction.
In the end, Rosa decided Division III Roger Williams was the perfect fit.
A three-sport athlete in her senior year at Swampscott High, Rosa made her commitment to the Hawks official last week.
“It’s awesome because I have something to look forward to,” Rosa said of her commitment. “I love Roger Williams. Now I can focus on soccer, basketball and lacrosse so I’m excited that I got this done.
“I tried to put basketball on the side and focus on myself going to school. If something happened and I can’t play I wanted to fit into the school. I focused on that first and brought in the basketball perspective after.”
Rosa, a four-year starter for the Big Blue at small forward, said she also considered committing to Emmanuel, Regis and Rhode Island College.
“When I did my overnight I really liked the team,” Rosa said. “I could really see myself fitting in there. The campus is beautiful and the academics are great. I think it all worked out perfectly.
“All the girls (on the team), I can tell they really like each other. They like (Coach Kelly Thompson). I’m really excited to be a part of their family.”
The Hawks are coming off one of their better seasons in 2017-2018. Roger Williams finished the year at 24-6, 15-3 in Commonwealth Coast Conference play. The Hawks bounced Gordon and Endicott from the CCC Tournament in the first two rounds of play before falling short to Western New England in the conference championship game. Despite the loss, Roger Williams earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament. The season ended with a first-round defeat to Emory & Henry.
Rosa feels she can jump into the mix and compete for playing time when she joins the team for her freshman season (2019-2020).
“It seems like the whole team works together,” Rosa said. “Coach (Thompson) has said to me that players who work hardest in practice are the best for the team no matter what year they are. I’m hoping to go in there, work hard, prove myself and hopefully play some minutes.”
For now, Rosa’s focus is solely dedicated to her senior soccer season. Swampscott wrapped its regular season Tuesday afternoon with a 6-1 win over Haverhill. The Big Blue await Wednesday’s announcement of the state tournament pairings. Last fall, Swampscott reached the Division 3 North sectional despite entering the bracket as the No. 11 seed.
“The season’s going awesome,” Rosa, Swampscott’s starting goalie, said. “We’re doing really well. I’m excited to see how far we go in the tournament. Hopefully we go pretty far. It’s my senior year so I’m looking forward to making a mark before I leave. I know the rest of the seniors and the rest of the team do as well.”
She’s also looking forward to her senior basketball season.
“I’m so excited. I think we’re going to be awesome,” Rosa said. “Last year we went 9-11 and it was kind of unfortunate that we didn’t make the state tournament. This year we have some great freshmen coming in. Coach (Katelyn Leonard) is optimistic that we’ll make the tournament and go far so I’m very excited.”
