Lombardi accepts leader role

By: Lukas Eggen

Monday, November 16, 2009 - 11:46 PM

Click to enlarge. Photo by Casey Durkin / Nevada Sagebrush.

Last season, Marianne Lombardi played in 31 games for the Wolf Pack, in which she averaged only 6.7 minutes per game. However, after being named a team captain, she is hoping to take on more of a leadership role this year.

“I expect to help out on the little things,” Lombardi said. “Setting good screens, reading plays, rebounding and putting back points.”

Lombardi is just one of the reasons why women’s basketball head coach Jane Albright is ready for the season to begin.

“I’m very excited and very confident that we’ll put a team on the floor that can compete with whoever we’re playing with,” the second-year head coach said.

Albright added that Lombardi, who is usually soft-spoken, has embraced a leadership role so far in the season.

“She’s totally different,” Albright said. “I don’t know what it is. I’ve never seen her do the things she’s doing every day. Part of that may be just confidence. She’s getting playing time, she’s in better shape, she’s getting more vocal. I don’t really know what it is. Senior year, urgency … she’s taking on way more leadership this year.”

Although Lombardi is taking on a bigger role, she said this season is not just about her.

“We’re going to focus more on playing as a team this year,” she said. “We’re not counting on certain individuals to get us through situations anymore, we’re going to get through them by working as a team.”

While Lombardi has remained largely out of the spotlight, she said she is content in the role that she is in this season.

“I just want to be an impact for the team,” Lombardi said. “I want to help out with rebounds and the little things,” Lombardi said.

Despite being a team captain, Lombardi isn’t feeling pressured.

“Well, we’re all looking for improvement from last season,” co-captain Shavon Moore said. “That’s all you can really ask for.”

After a season in which former Nevada guard Dellena Criner was the focal point of the offense, Lombardi is preparing for a much bigger role this season.

Although the Wolf Pack’s season is just getting underway, Lombardi said she’s seen an improvement in her game already.

“We are shooting and finishing drives better in practice so hopefully, we can do it in a game,” she said.

In the Wolf Pack’s season opener, Lombardi played 21 minutes in which she scored two points and added four rebounds as Nevada defeated California State University, Monterey Bay 63-39.

Lukas Eggen can be reached at leggen@nevadasagebrush.com.