Coming from a sports-oriented family, Danita Estorga, 16, began playing basketball in the second grade. It didn’t take long before she knew it was a game for which she was well suited.
“When I started getting taller I thought basketball would be my sport. I love the game,” she said.
The Righetti High School junior said height isn’t the only attribute of a good basketball player though. “You also have to have ‘court sense.’ You have to be able to see the court and know what play is going to happen before it happens,” she said.
It’s that sense, along with her skill and rapport with her teammates that makes Danita one of coach Desiree Domingues’ team captains.
“She’s just a great leader on and off the field,” Domingues said.
Righetti is currently 14-3 and tied for 1st place in the league, Domingues said.
“That’s a big deal for Righetti because we’ve had some losing seasons in the past few years,” Domingues said.
No doubt Danita has contributed to those wins. Domingues said she is scoring and rebounding in the double digits each game. And she tries to positively influence her teammates.
“She’s always picking the girls up when things get tight,” Domingues said.
It’s not just during the games that Danita tries to have a positive influence. Grades are another important element to the team, Danita said, because if they don’t get the grades they can’t play.
“Academics is really important for our team. I’m always telling them, ‘We have to keep our grades up,’” she said.
Danita also has another reason for keeping those grades up: She hopes to get a scholarship to study law. Specifically, she wants her law degree in order to be an advocate for children in foster care. It’s a situation she’s experienced herself.
“I’ve been through the process. I know what it’s like. I was adopted by my grandparents. I’d like to advocate for children going through the same situation,” she said.
For now though, she’s happy playing basketball, working on her education—oh yeah, and singing.
“I just like music. I’ll sing anything,” she said.
Though she’s got big aspirations, she’s also got plenty to be proud of right now. She said being a starter as a freshman playing varsity has been one of her biggest achievements. So was being named Athlete of the Week at the Athletic Roundtable recently. But she’s also pretty proud of being part of a team of close friends.
“It’s pretty fun to play with all these girls I’ve been playing with since I was young. The team keeps me motivated. It’s a great environment,” she said.
This article appears in Jan 28 – Feb 4, 2016.
