For most of her basketball career, Kaitlyn Nellegar has played the role of “undersized” forward.
The reality of often being matched up against girls three or four inches taller than her has made the 5-foot-8 Nellegar realize that she had to get creative in order to survive offensively in the post.
“I think I just kind of try to come up with some creative ways sometimes to score,” said Nellegar. “I can’t always just shoot over people. I got to maybe shot fake and then step through them or I just try to look for other ways than just going over people.”
Nellegar’s creativity has started to pay off at a time when her Nutley team was in desperate need of the offensive boost.
The sophomore forward has scored in double-figures in nine-straight games for the Raiders, a stretch that has seen Nellegar average 16.0 points and 13.8 rebounds per contest. During this time, Nellegar has posted eight double-doubles, the last two coming in back-to-back wins over Payne Tech and Indian Hills on Friday and Saturday.
Nellegar’s post play makes her The Observer Athlete of the Week.
For the season, Nellegar is averaging 10.9 points and 13.7 rebounds per game, emerging as the top scorer for a young Nutley team that was in desperate need of an offensive boost following the season-ending knee injury to then-leading scorer Isabel Riccardi in early January.
“I’ve always worked on (my post moves), but I feel like I didn’t really see that I need to use it as much,” Nellegar said. “But now, being able to understand that I have to do that to score, it’s been a lot easier knowing that I do that, my chances of scoring will be better.”
“When Isabel got hurt, I was very nervous about if we were going to have that ability to continue to score,” head coach Kara McNish-Natoli said. “It’s very refreshing to see Kaitlyn step up as much as she has.”
Both Nellegar and McNish-Natoli point to the Jan. 25 win at Park Ridge as a turning point in her season. On that day, Nellegar erupted for 29 points and 18 rebounds to give the Raiders a 60-57 victory.
“In the beginning of the season, I think I was just trying to find my place,” said Nellegar, who reached double-figures in points in just two of her first eight games of the season. “I knew I could rebound, but I feel like lately, being able to score, I’ve built up the confidence.
“Looking back, I’m like wow, it’s been such a difference recently.”
McNish-Natoli, more than anyone can relate to the challenges of being an undersized post player. At the University of Mount St. Vincent, McNish-Natoli turned herself into an all-league player despite being undersized at 5-foot-11.
“I say that to her all the time,” McNish-Natoli said. “My dad (current Nutley assistant and longtime Weehawken boys basketball coach Jake McNish) says that to her. He’s like ‘you play the same way that coach played. You guys remind me of each other so much.’”
While scoring has not always come naturally to Nellegar, rebounding has always been a strong suit to her game.
“I think honestly knowing that I’m shorter, I have to work to get the rebound,” Nellegar said. “I feel a lot of times taller people kind of just stand there and wait for it. Knowing that I’m shorter, I try to get around people and box them out and jump up and get it before they even have a chance.”
Nutley has gone 5-4 during Nellegar’s scoring streak as she and freshman forward Gianna Albanese have combined to give the Raiders one-two combination in the post that McNish-Natoi have not had during her nine years with the program.
Their play has Nutley at 11-10 and in eighth place in the North 2, Group 3 power point standings heading into the final week before the cutoff.
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Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)