Video: Meet Francesca BelibiRegis Jesuit sophomore grabbed the nation's attention with in-game dunk.Francesca Belibi is a rare breed.
The 6-foot-1 sophomore became the first girl in Colorado history to complete a dunk during a game last Friday against Grand Junction. Belibi made it look easy, which was a big part of the reason the nation took notice of the feat.
Just 15 years old, Belibi has been playing basketball for less than two years. But athletic success is nothing new – she was part of a third-place doubles team in last year's Colorado Class 5A tennis tournament.
"I received a text from my assistant coach 16 months ago saying there was a 5-foot-10 girl dunking a volleyball in here,"
Regis Jesuit (Aurora, Colo.) head coach Carl Mattei said. "He sent me the picture and I flew over to the gym and talked to her (Francesca). She told me, 'Coach, I'd like to try it."
The rest is history.
Belibi in action earlier this week against ThunderRidge.
Photo by Paul DiSalvo
Her 6-8 wingspan and 30-inch vertical has generated over 200 scholarship offers and spurred interest from high-profile programs such as UConn and Notre Dame.
Belibi has tripled her statistical output from last season, averaging 18.0 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.4 blocks and 2.1 steals per game for the 6-3 Raiders. She seems poised to carry on the winning tradition for a team that's made nine state semifinal appearances in the last 12 years and produced 32 college players.
"Every day is a new day in the development of Francesca," Mattei said. "It's like she discovers new powers and skills every day."
Mattei told MaxPreps that the Raiders have practiced an alley-oop play for Belibi and are hoping to implement it during a game.
Stay tuned.
