Photo Courtesy of Choate Flickr
When Girls’ Varsity Basketball point guard Indi DelRocco ’21 was injured last year and unable to play for the remainder of the season, she wondered how it would affect her college recruiting process. Little did she know that a raging pandemic would further complicate her opportunities for recruitment. Growing up in Branford, Connecticut, DelRocco was introduced to basketball at a young age by her parents. The sport has always been a defining part of DelRocco’s life and will continue to be, as she recently committed to play Division III basketball at Trinity College.
Sam Anastasio: What age did you begin playing basketball? What was the driving force that inspired you to play?
Indi DelRocco: My parents actually coached our local high school’s girls’ basketball team, so I have been on the court since I was born. I started playing on a team when I was six years old — really since I could walk. My parents were the driving force behind my playing. However, watching all my brothers and the girls on the team was inspiring.
SA: How did you decide to come to Choate?
ID: I decided to come to Choate because of basketball and to get a better education. I knew that I wanted to play in college and coming to Choate was probably the best option to get me to that level.
SA: Congratulations on your recent commitment to Trinity College. How did the Covid-19 pandemic affect the recruiting process?
ID: I got hurt before the pandemic, which ended my season and hurt my recruiting. I had two Division I offers to not great academic schools going into the summer, but I wanted more of a higher education. I was waiting for games to be played for Choate so Ivy League and Patriot schools could see me play. I started reaching out to NESCAC [New England Small College Athletic Conference] schools, and luckily Trinity was willing to take a chance on me.
SA: Was it hard to learn that the last game you played for Choate was last year and that you wouldn’t be able to have a senior season?
ID: Honestly, no, because it’s just kind of in the pattern. Learning that I couldn’t play in the last year of AAU [Amateur Athletic Union] was probably the hardest. With Choate, I kind of just expected it with how they were reacting to the pandemic.
SA: What do you love most about the game?
ID: I really just love being with my teammates and making those connections. But I have never really thought about it — I have been playing basketball for so long, it’s just natural to me. I obviously enjoy the time spent with teammates, but I honestly don’t even enjoy winning that much.
SA: Is there one specific experience with the team that really sticks with you?
ID: Definitely winning the Loomis game last year, as we hadn’t beat them in a really long time, and we won by 12 points. We had an underdog season, and we weren’t expected to win a lot of games because we lost seven seniors and only got one recruit. But it was really cool to see a lot of people step up and see what we could accomplish.
SA: Do you have professional teams or players that you follow or inspire to be like?
ID: I don’t really follow any teams, but I like Stephen Curry, as he can shoot the lights out of the ball without trying. And obviously Kevin Durant.
