Chabot report: Vezaldenos having a blast in comeback season

The word “fun” comes up frequently when Olivia Vezaldenos discusses her freshman season on coach Mark Anger’s powerful Chabot women’s basketball squad.
The former East Union High-Manteca star is averaging 18.9 points game heading into Wednesday’s first-place showdown at City College of San Francisco in the Coast-North.
“I like the faster level of play and the intensity,” she said of college play. “A lot more strategic thinking, X’s and O’s, a lot of film: You have to adjust a lot. I am definitely having a lot of fun with it.”
Vezaldenos is shaking off the rust in a big way. She did not play last season for UC Irvine, her first year out of high school, and the time away made her extra hungry for game action.
“I did start to miss basketball a lot,” said Vezaldenos, who practiced with the U.C. Irvine team in the offseason and received encouragement about her game. “The main thing was that I wasn’t satisfied just doing school. I feel I should be as well-rounded (as high school).”
During a stellar high school career, Vezaldenos was the unanimous Valley Oak League Most Valuable Player in her senior season. The four-year varsity player averaged a league-high 20.4 points and 5.5 assists as a senior, helping the Lancers to a 27-2 overall record and 14-0 league mark.
Some colleges showed interest, but she decided to attend a school that was not offering her an athletic scholarship.
“I decided to go to UC Irvine because that was my dream school,” she said.
Vezaldenos said she put basketball on hold “because I didn’t want to sacrifice an education from a great school like UCI in order to play at a lower-level academic school.”
Chabot (18-4, 6-1) is excited to have her on board. The Gladiators are also thrilled to have another crack at CCSF (19-3, 6-0), after falling to the Rams 73-64 on Jan. 5. CCCSF is ranked sixth in the recent CCSIA Women’s Basketball state poll. Chabot is No. 16.
“I could not be more excited,” said Vezaldenos of the matchup. “I think we definitely improved a lot since we saw them.”
The Gladiators are coming off an impressive 87-77 win over San Jose City, when Vezaldenos had 23 points, six assists and six steals. She had 25 points in a scintillating 113-79 triumph over College of San Mateo on Jan. 24.
Vezaldenos made her way to Chabot after deciding to return to Northern California after the 2017 spring semester at UC Irvine, where she was a business administration major.
“I looked at the (California Community College Athletic Association) website and saw everyone’s record,” said Vezaldenos, noting Anger’s success. “I reached out to him and e-mailed him.”
After checking out the school further, “I thought it was a good fit,” she added.
The speedy Vezaldenos’ scoring average ranks third in the Coast-North, and her 3-point field-goal percentage of 40.0 ranks second.
“I think she’s done a good job,” Anger said. “She was a little rusty when she came back, but she worked hard. She’s an excellent catch-and-shoot player. She’s been working on her all-around game. She’s a smart player.”
Impressively, Vezaldenos has achieved her successful comeback in a new position after running the point in high school.
“Coach Mark approached me and asked what I thought of moving to the 2,” she said. “I was open to it. … I think I have more room to run.”