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Monday, February 3, 2025, TRIB-LIVE
When Fox Chapel senior guard Bella Urso first stepped on the high school basketball court, coach Marty Matvey wondered if Urso had a pulse.
“She was quiet as a freshman,” Matvey said. “She’s sort of a reserved kid to begin with but had — and still has — one of the best shots on the team. Now it’s a night-and-day difference.”
It took a while, but Urso finally found the confidence to come out of her shell.
“I think she started to get comfortable in her own skin after winning a WPIAL title in soccer last year,” Matvey said.
Matvey also pointed to a game against Mars last year that guard Lyla Jablon had to miss as another turning point.
“Bella ended up with 28 points and 10 assists,” Matvey said. “I said to her, ‘You should do this all the time. Why not? Why wait for Lyla to be gone?’ I think she took that to heart. After that, she started to average double figures for us last year.”
Urso leads the team again with 15 points per game this year. She also averages seven rebounds, three assists and three steals a game and is shooting 32% from 3-point range.
Even though she lacked the confidence early on, Urso always had the talent. She is the youngest of five siblings. Her three older brothers and older sister played basketball in high school.
“They all played the game differently, so they all have their own little piece of advice to give,” Urso said. “Individually, they’ve taught me all about work ethic, ball handling and the fundamentals of the game. We work out in the offseason, and they attend my games.”
Matvey points to Urso’s production as one of the reasons that the Foxes (11-5, 6-2) are looking to head to the playoffs for the first time since the 2020-21 season.
“She thought of herself as a distributor and a role player,” Matvey said. “I knew that if I was going to have her and her teammates be successful as they got older, they would need to play outside of themselves.”
Added Urso: “With being a senior and having a lot of younger players on the team looking up to me and fellow senior Natalia Schaffer, we’ve both garnered a lot of confidence because we know we have a lot to do in order to win.”
Urso took some time for a Senior Spotligth Q&A:
What was it like to embrace your role as a scorer as the years have gone on?
It’s a hard adjustment because my first instinct is still to pass the ball. It’s helped me gain a lot of confidence, and I enjoy both parts of my game. Coach has also been very helpful, building that confidence in all of us.
What have you done to welcome the freshmen off the court, and what have you taught them on the court?
Off the court, we have a lot of times where we do things as a team, a lot of bonding where we’ve gotten to know each other. It’s a lot different going from middle school to high school basketball, so I’ve just helped them adapt to the speed of the game and playing with different people.
What’s it like to be a leader for the large freshman class?
It’s definitely a lot of fun getting to know and teach them. They’re all super nice and willing to learn and adapt.
What was it like to play at PPG Paints Area in December? </
It was a ton of fun. A totally different atmosphere. Playing on a court like that down in the city was awesome. It was a close game, but we ended up winning.
Are you getting excited for playoffs?
We never made it to the playoffs in my four years, so I’m very excited.
What was it like winning a WPIAL championship in soccer last year?
That was great, a lot of fun. Great success for the team because we worked for it, played for each other. Being in that playoff atmosphere has made me strive to get there in basketball.
What lessons have you learned from playing sports?
I’ve learned discipline from all the practices and how to work with other people and teamwork. Just having a passion for something, having that desire for something and working towards it.
Any hobbies?
I’m pretty involved in my youth group and am an officer in Best Buddies at my school.
What are your post high school plans?
I’m going to attend Franciscan University, play soccer and basketball and major in education. Right now, I would like to be an elementary teacher.
What’s one piece of advice you’d want to leave your teammates?
Give it your all while you’re there and play for each other.