Pirate Preview: Joniyah Bland-Fitzpatrick
Published: Tuesday, October 1, 2024
by Dovid Holtzman
With more experienced senior players moving away and onto the professional level, there is room for a bright young forward to step up in a big way. Joniyah Bland-Fitzpatrick might just be the player that Seton Hall women’s basketball needs this year to fill gaps on offense left by graduating seniors and departing starts.
From her hometown of Westtown, Connecticut, Bland-Fitzpatrick showed grit and discipline early, leading her high school team to a combined 76-13 record over four years. She was named to the First Team in the All-Friends School League conference, and she played twice in the Rose Classic, before being recruited to play in the South Orange blue and white.
In her freshman year, Bland-Fitzpatrick played a crucial role off the bench, logging time in 15 games but making the most of every moment she spent on the court. Through an average of just four minutes per game, she showed flashes of brilliance on both sides of the ball. Bland-Fitzpatrick averaged a full 50.0% from the field – draining six of 12 shots and going 5-7 from the free throw line. On defense, she was dominant on the glass, coming away with seven rebounds – five of them on the offensive boards.
With key bigs stepping away, there is room for Bland-Fitzpatrick to scale up her performance and bring the same level of play to a higher-profile role. Forwards A’jah Davis, Brazil Harvey-Carr, Azana Baines, and Kae Satterfield all joined professional leagues, leaving a big gap in the Seton Hall roster. The Pirates already have a strong group of talented guards – Shailyn Pinkney, Amari Wright, and Savannah Catalon will compete for ball time. But it is at forward that Bland-Fitzpatrick would like to make her mark.
The key question for Bland-Fitzpatrick is how fast the sophomore can scale up her playing time with the same level of consistency. In high school, she nabbed her team’s Most Improved Player award; this year, she will try to bring her level of play up to match the juniors, seniors, and graduate students.
If Joniyah Bland-Fitzpatrick’s track record holds, she could be the forward Tony Bozzella and the rest of her team needs this season.
Dovid Holtzman can be reached at dovid.holtzman@student.shu.eduPosted in: sports,