LA REINA FORWARD ISN'T AFRAID OF TAKING LUMPS FOR REBOUNDS.Byline: Dave Desmond Daily News Staff Writer She often can be found carefully arranging luggage racks in the bedding department of a local department store where she works part-time. On the basketball court, however, Kindrea Cuccia throws around opposing rebounders much like that gorilla gorilla, an ape, Gorilla gorilla, native to the lowland and mountain forests of western and central equatorial Africa. It is the largest of the apes, the males reaching a height of 5 to 6 ft (150–190 cm) with a 9-ft (144–cm) arm spread. treated suitcases in a famous Samsonite commercial. Cuccia never saw a rebound she didn't like. And the La Reina High School La Reina High School is a Catholic college preparatory junior and senior high school for girls. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, La Reina is owned and administered by the Sisters of Notre Dame. forward isn't afraid to get a little down and dirty to stake her claim. ``She'll absolutely sacrifice her body for the ball,'' teammate Catherine Fontecha said. ``She'll go after anything.'' The Regents' chairperson of the board has pulled down 11 rebounds a game in helping lead her team to a 5-2 record entering last night's nonleague game at Village Christian. The 5-foot-8-inch Cuccia hardly looks the part of the hard-hat, Kurt Rambis-type rebounder. ``If you saw me walking down the street, you wouldn't think I'm an athlete because I'm not very jock-looking,' she said. Look closer. Notice the scabs. The black-and-blue marks. She's an athlete. A good one. All-Tri-Valley League in basketball and volleyball, honorable mention all-league in softball softball, variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Invented (1888) in Chicago as an indoor game, it was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground ball, kitten ball, and, because it was also played by women, ladies' , Cuccia has excelled. ``She's a hard-working athlete who gets the job done,'' La Reina La Reina (Spanish: "The queen") is a commune of Chile located in Santiago Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region. It consistently ranks in the top five communes with the best quality of life in the Metropolitan Region. coach Allison Sain said. ``And she has a real enthusiasm for the game of basketball.'' The senior forward's scrappy scrap·py 1 adj. scrap·pi·er, scrap·pi·est Composed of scraps; fragmentary: scrappy evidence. scrap style has earned her the nickname ``Chuckie,'' short for Woodchuck woodchuck or groundhog, common name of a North American species of marmot, Marmota monax. This large rodent is found in open woods and ravines throughout most of Canada and the NE United States. because she appears to eat through the hardwood floor while diving for loose basketballs. Her style has been infectious. ``It's an honor playing with her,'' Fontecha said. ``The way she plays, the way she goes after the ball, is inspiring.'' Cuccia wears no earrings in strange places. There are no tattoos. But the fact that Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are a professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They play in the National Basketball Association. The team was founded in 1966, and has won six NBA Championships since. forward Dennis Rodman is her favorite player should come as no surprise. ``He hustles and does the little things that don't necessarily go in the stat book but are important for a team to succeed,'' she said. To that end, Cuccia not only studies her competition, but her own teammates. She wants to know if another Regent's shot usually comes off the rim hard or to the right or left. ``I know my shooters,'' she proudly says. ``Rebounding is competition. A lot of people don't care
"Don't Care" is a 1994 (see 1994 in music) single by American death metal band Obituary. about rebounding, but anyone can score. You can close your eyes and chuck the ball up and still maybe score.'' Such comments only confirm what her coach has suspected all along. ``I think she cares more about her rebounding numbers than her scoring average,'' Sain said. Indeed. ``(Rebounding) is the first stat I look at,'' said Cuccia, who also is averaging 12.3 points per game. ``Rebounds lead to fast breaks, fast breaks lead to scoring and scoring leads to winning.'' Rebounds also lead to sometimes unsightly un·sight·ly adj. un·sight·li·er, un·sight·li·est Unpleasant or offensive to look at; unattractive. See Synonyms at ugly. un war wounds, souvenirs of banging against bodies usually larger than her own. Jock-looking bodies. ``We show off our bruises Bruises Definition Bruises, or ecchymoses, are a discoloration and tenderness of the skin or mucous membranes due to the leakage of blood from an injured blood vessel into the tissues. Pupura refers to bruising as the result of a disease condition. ,'' she said. ``I'll show up to practice and say, `Hey, look what I've got.''' A four-year starter at la Reina, Cuccia doesn't regret a single scrape. ``All the bumps and bruises over the last four years are definitely worth it,'' she said. With such an attitude, Cuccia may find herself a candidate for Employee of the Month. Maybe not in bedding, but perhaps the rebounding department. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1) ``(Rebounding) is the first stat I look at. Rebounds lead to fast breaks, fast breaks lead to scoring and scoring leads to winning.'' Kindrea Cuccia La Reina High School forward (2) Kindrea Cuccia saves her aggressive spirit for the courts as a La Reina High School forward. Phil McCarten / Daily News |
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