MERTLE A QUICK STUDY AT ST. MARY'S: FORMER URSULINE BASKETBALL STAR MAKES SUCCESSFUL ADJUSTMENT TO COLLEGE BALL

Monica Mertle proved to be pretty good at the transition game for St.

Mary's College basketball team this season.

Ursuline High and the North Bay League to the West Coast Conference -- no

sweat.

''Monica has the winning mentality and you must have that to be successful

in the WCC,'' said St. Mary's coach Michelle Jacoby.

Mertle started in 27 of 28 games for the Gaels and was 24th in conference

scoring, averaging 8.7 points per game -- second among freshmen. She was 19th

in the conference and first among freshmen in field goal percentage, shooting

38 percent from the floor.

Mertle showed her stuff early with an 18-point performance to lead the way

in a victory against UCLA.

''That was probably my personal highlight,'' said Mertle.

When the Gaels needed a 3-point basket to force a second overtime in a WCC

tournament game against San Diego, Mertle got the call and made the shot.

''That says something about how poised Monica is,'' said Jacoby. ''She

really came around as far as being a strong offensive presence for us. Every

time she catches the ball and shoots, we know good things are going to

happen.''

A good thing certainly happened at the end of the regular season. Mertle

was selected to the WCC all-freshman team.

St. Mary's lost the double-overtime game to San Diego to be eliminated from

the tournament and finished with a 15-14 record -- 7-7 in the WCC.

That may not sound like much of a record, until you consider the Gaels

started four freshmen most of the season.

''We had eight newcomers ... seven were freshmen and four were starting at

the end of the year,'' Jacoby said. ''We feel we have a bright future ahead of

us.''

Still, Mertle, a 6-foot forward, was clearly disappointed her team didn't

fare better this year.

The Gaels closed out the regular season with last-second losses to

Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount.

''A lot of teams say, 'Hey, they're young,' but we could have made the NCAA

Tournament,'' Mertle said. ''We were down 17 points to Loyola Marymount (22-5,

13-1 WCC), which won the conference and the tournament, and lost by two

points. The LMU coach said we were the best team she'd seen all year.''

Mertle said she will be spending much of the offseason trying to get

physically stronger for next season.

''Once you have a taste of what college basketball is, you get motivated

and want to get better. Knowing the potential our team has, wow, we can really

dominate if we take care of business.''

Jacoby isn't surprised to hear that kind of talk from Mertle.

''Monica is a consummate team player,'' said the coach. ''She's a tireless

worker, a great student, gets along with everyone and has a passion for the

game.

''She likes to know what she has to do and prepares herself well. You just

have to have that type in your program. She's a winner.''

Is there another Mertle in St. Mary's future?

Monica sure hopes so. Her sister, Heidi, is a 6-2 guard-forward with a year

remaining at Ursuline.

''We're best friends,'' Monica said. ''We played together for two years in

high school. I'd sure love to play with her again.''

You can reach Staff Writer Ralph Leef at 521-5268 or

rleef@pressdemocrat.com