Greensburg C.C. grad Maietta rekindles love for basketball at Pitt-Greensburg

When Melina Maietta was finished playing basketball at Greensburg Central Catholic, she wasn’t sure she wanted to go through the grind anymore. She had put a lot of work into it through the years, but with college looming, she had reservations about balancing basketball with schoolwork.

So she enrolled at Coastal Carolina in Conway, S.C. It was an attractive destination with Myrtle Beach just a few miles away, but it didn’t take long for the pangs of wanting to be back on the court and back home started to gnaw at her.

“It was probably halfway through my (first) semester (at Coastal), and I realized how much I missed basketball and the true love I have for the game,” she said.

So she and high school friend Gia Scala, who also was looking to transfer schools, started exploring options. Pitt-Greensburg, headed by young coach and former Bobcats standout player Kelsey Oddis, seemed like a good fit.

And fit it has. Maietta immediately became an integral part of Oddis’ team. Through the first six games, Maietta made four starts and averaged 8.8 points per game for the Bobcats (5-1, 1-0 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference).

She made a quick impression on Oddis during the 2020-21 season that wasn’t. With regular competition shut down because of the covid-19 pandemic, teams were limited to playing what amounted to exhibition games against any opponent they could find.

The Bobcats played five games, and Maietta showed she belonged.

“Right off the bat, I could tell she was a go-getter,” Oddis said. “Putting her in those games just as a spring transfer having never played against them, still learning the game … she just went in there and wasn’t afraid to play.”

There was, obviously, some rust. Maietta hadn’t played a competitive game in more than six months. She shot and worked out on her own, but it wasn’t the same as being in a live game situation.

But her return to basketball, in a way, was helped by the pandemic. The “unofficial” schedule the Bobcats played over the spring helped her ease into the college game.

“Honestly, I think it was a great way to transfer in and get a feel for what a college game would be like,” said Maietta, listed as a 5-foot-8 freshman guard. “I think it made me better to know what to expect for this season.”

Oddis calls Maietta a “three-tier scorer,” someone who can shoot from distance, get her own shot off the dribble or drive to the basket. Maietta is looking to improve her rebounding and defense to make herself into a more well-rounded player.

“We have seen a huge jump from the start of the year until now,” Oddis said regarding Maietta’s defense. “To have both ends, offense and defense, for any player is awesome. Sometimes you get one without the other, or one is not as good as the other.

“But for sure it’s just getting her on the same page with the defense. I think it’s going to unfold really nicely for her.”

Said Maietta: “I was really nervous the first few games, especially starting. But I feel more comfortable now playing with my teammates. We have such a good connection already. I think it can only go up from here.”

She and the Bobcats hope it goes “up” to the top of the AMCC. That is a goal Maietta said the players set before the season, and she believes it is within reach.

“I think we definitely have the potential with the players we have on this team,” she said.