Grupalo to walk-on

Gabriella Grupalo is familiar with successful basketball programs playing at Carondelet High School and Cal Stars Nike Elite. With the July evaluation period winding down, Grupalo has decided to accept a recruited walk-on spot at the Division I level.

The 5-foot-7 guard has decided to take a recruited walk-on spot with Cal Poly after receiving interest from St. John Fisher College in New York, Williams College, John Hopkins, Concordia and Linfield.

"Ever sense (my) freshman year, Cal Poly was on my list of schools that I might want to go to, but I knew Cal Poly was the school for me after I went to their Advanced Skills camp in June. The camp was only a day and a half, but it gave me enough time to get to know the coaches a little better, watch their team play a little, and get a feel of how Cal Poly works," Grupalo said in an email. "After the camp my dad and I took a tour of the campus and I fell in love. That weekend is when I knew that Cal Poly is where I wanted to go to college."

Grupalo also liked the size of the school, location and it has her major of graphic design, she said. So, what does she bring to Cal Poly?

"Some of the strengths of my game are my speed, defense, and team chemistry. I am fast and a good defense player, which allows me to get a lot of steals," Grupalo said. "Some of the weakness of my game are driving to the basket and staying calm. Sometimes I get really excited and I think too fast so I'll turn the ball over, but my coach will give me a little helpful reminder to slow down a bit."

She averaged six points, four rebounds, two assists and three steals per game as a junior as Carondelet reached the NorCal Open Division semi-finals.