By Jim Hague
Sabrina Sanchez always dreamed of someday going to Rutgers and studying criminal justice, with the hope of a career in law enforcement.
However, the Keasbey, N.J., native believed that she would eventually head to the New Brunswick campus and not end up in Newark.
“Ever since I was a little girl, I always wanted to go to Rutgers,” Sanchez said.
But her basketball skills wouldn’t allow her to play for the Scarlet Knights.
However, there was another Rutgers school that wanted Sanchez for her basketball talents.
Rutgers-Newark women’s assistant basketball coach James Bagli saw Sanchez play a few times in high school and was intrigued by Sanchez’ ability to shoot the ball, even though she had only two years of varsity experience at Woodbridge High School.
“Coach Bagli saw Sabrina play a few times and he thought that she could help us,” Rutgers-Newark head women’s basketball coach Kevin Morris said. “At that point four years ago, we would have taken anyone. She expressed interest in coming here and we decided to give her a chance. That’s how it all evolved.”
“I had some of the other NJAC (New Jersey Athletic Conference) schools looking at me, but once I heard about Rutgers-Newark having interest in me, it was a pretty easy decision to come,” Sanchez said. “I knew the program wasn’t doing too well at the time and I figured I had a chance to play.”
Sanchez did develop as a high school player at Woodbridge and led her team in scoring her senior year, breaking the school’s single-season scoring record in the process.
But when she arrived at R-N, she was part of a huge recruiting class by Morris and his staff, a group of players that would eventually change the entire face of the women’s basketball program at the school.
When Sanchez arrived at R-N, she wasn’t handed a position right away. It had to be earned.
“When she was a freshman, she came off the bench,” Morris said. “But she was determined to get better. Every chance she had, she was in the gym trying to improve her entire game. She improved her ability to handle the ball. She improved her ability to score off the dribble. She really evolved.”
“Even though I didn’t start, I worked out all the time,” Sanchez said. “I am basically a gym rat. I like being in the gym. I worked at my game a lot. When I was a freshman and sophomore, I was less disciplined. But I worked hard and I got better.”
Morris said that Sanchez’ improvement during her time with the Scarlet Raiders has been tremendous.
“Every year, she’s gotten better at a different aspect of the game,” Morris said. “She moves her feet better. She has such great range as a shooter and then has the ability to go by you and score. She can create stuff on her own and can also get quick threes. It’s been great to watch her improve.”
During her first two seasons, Sanchez averaged 6.9 and 6.6 points per game as a reserve. But the last two years, Sanchez has become a starter and the leading scorer for the Scarlet Raiders. She averaged 13 points per game last season, setting several new school records, including 3-point field goals made in a season.
“She’s really become more of a competitive player and makes us so much better,” Morris said. “We’re a better team because she’s gotten better. She used to be a stand-and-shoot player. Now, she’s a triple threat. She can get down the floor well, she can create. She just makes us more difficult to guard. She wanted a greater role and went into the gym every summer to improve and so she could come back and play more.”
“Once I started playing more, I felt my skills got better and I knew that Coach Morris and my teammates had confidence in me,” Sanchez said. “I think confidence is the key. I’m more confident now.”
Sanchez has developed so much that she’s approaching a milestone that not many college players achieve. If she keeps scoring at her current pace, she will reach the 1,000-point plateau during one of the final regular season games.
“It was the furthest thing from my mind,” Sanchez said of becoming a 1,000-point scorer. “I never dreamed that was possible. If it happens, that would be pretty crazy. I never expected that. I thought it would be a long shot. I guess I’m a late bloomer.”
Morris said that Sanchez’ pursuit of the milestone should not determine her importance to the program.
“Even if she ends with 999 points, she still has helped us win 65-plus games during her career here,” Morris said. “She’s been very instrumental, like the other seniors, in getting us to where we’re at. In that respect, she’s accomplished a lot.”
Morris said that Sanchez is one of the most respected players on the Scarlet Raiders’ roster.
“She’s very popular with the team,” Morris said. “She’s not overly vocal and she’s not exactly quiet either. But she leads by example. She knows what she wants and she doesn’t hide what she wants. She’s an aggressive player and she’s wonderful to coach. Everything she does is focused on the team.”
Sanchez has to endure a hectic schedule while she finishes her education. She works two jobs, one as a waitress in her hometown and another at the Rutgers-Newark bookstore, while she completes a double major in criminal justice and sociology.
“It does get pretty hard sometimes, but I do what I have to do,” Sanchez said. “It seems like I’m always going.”
Someday, Sanchez would like to become a detective. She will more than likely take her degree into becoming a police officer soon after graduation.
“I was always interested in that field since I was younger,” Sanchez said. “Whether it’s police work, FBI, CIA, I always wanted to get into law enforcement. I’m very athletic and I’m into action stuff. I don’t think I could see myself sitting behind a desk all day every day. I have to do things that are active and interesting.”
Sanchez said that she always watched television shows like “Cops” and “Law and Order” as a youngster.
So after she chases down the 1,000-point mark, Sanchez will more than likely be chasing down criminals.
“You got that right,” she laughed. “I think it’s been a big blessing to be part of such a huge turnaround here. We’re all breaking so many records and it’s great, because I feel like we’re not a team. We’re like a family. We are all so close and get along so well. I think if I get to 1,000 (points), it would be a pretty big accomplishment, because we don’t have a lot of scorers. There’s never one player standing out. Everyone contributes. That’s why it would be so special.”
Just as special as Sabrina Sanchez has been to the Rutgers-Newark women’s basketball program for the last four seasons.
