Archbishop Mitty High School senior, Siena Guttadauro, commits to UTSA
September 16, 2021
By Madisen Carter
Archbishop Mitty High School women’s basketball player, Siena Guttadauro, is ready to take on her last year of high school basketball. She has been putting in work and preparing for the upcoming season all summer and was even presented with the opportunity to take her game to the next level.
On August 5th, Guttadauro announced on Instagram and Twitter that she had fully committed to the University of Texas at San Antonio to play Division I college basketball.
“It was literally a dream like it was crazy. It was a long, long process for me because the program [and] high school that I'm in is one of the best in the country, [and] Coach Phillips [is] like the best coach ever. It was just more time I had to get stronger, I had to get better at certain things,” Guttadauro said. “So I finally got a summer where I could just show what I can do, and it went really well for me. I got a couple offers and now I'm going to play basketball [at UTSA], and I love the coaches at UTSA. It was great.”
Guttadauro had several offers from other schools such as Dixie State University, California Baptist University and the University of the Incarnate Word. She said when she had her first visit at UTSA she instantly fell in love with the school because of what it had to offer including the fact that it was a football school and that the school was continuing to grow. She also mentioned the UTSA head coach, Karen Aston, and assistant coach, Jamie Carey, were also main factors to why she decided to commit to UTSA.
“They're very good coaches and they just remind me a lot of my high school coach, like the practice, when I watched it they do the same things. [They have] very high [intensity,] I really like that a lot. So I kind of made my decision after [my first] visit, I just knew I wanted to go there,” Guttadauro said.
Guttadauro has many goals for her upcoming years at UTSA. Not only does she want to win a Conference Championship, but she says her main goal and dream is to go all the way to the NCAA Tournament.
Until then, Guttadauro will be focusing on her final season of high school basketball. Last season, Guttadauro and the Archbishop Mitty Monarchs won the West Catholic Athletic League Championship and finished the season 13-2 overall. Guttadauro averaged 4.5 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. She finished her junior season with a total of 67 points, 21 rebounds, 22 assists and 22 steals.
This upcoming season, Guttadauro has bigger plans. She wants the Monarchs to go all the way to the State Championship and has pure confidence that when the team gets there, they will win. Guttadauro also has some personal goals that she wants to accomplish next season.
“Personally, [I] just [want to] be a better leader. So, just being vocal, leading my team [and] being a good point guard...” Guttadauro said. “I want to be a good leader and learn [more] on that because I've always been learning from other people, so now it's finally my time to be a leader.”
Guttadauro has been preparing for her upcoming season in many ways. Right now, she and her teammates are in pre-season conditioning, weight lifting and practicing in the open gym. She has also been traveling and working out with the coaches at the Unlimited Potential Basketball’s training facility.
“I've been going to UPB and working with [the coaches] since eighth grade. I’ve been going there for a while [and] I love going there,” Guttadauro said. “It's a new thing every day, and the main thing [we work on] is defense, because that's something that I always struggled with, so [they] help a lot with the defense.”
Guttadauro is ready to start her season and play the game she is passionate about. She said what makes the game of basketball so special to her is the unbreakable bonds that she has made through basketball, not only with her teammates but everyone who has supported her throughout her journey. Guttadauro said another reason why basketball means so much to her is because the game is her escape.
“You have your own time, it's your own headspace and it's just something that you can do outside of everything else in your life. [Basketball] just makes you feel calm but it's also crazy because if you're going to play a big game you're all nervous, but at the same time it's an escape,” Guttadauro said. “It’s amazing to be good at a sport and that be your way out of things I guess. It is a blessing.”
