Student Athlete of the Week: Rose Pacheco

The term downhill guard doesn't suit many better than it does Rose Pacheco.

Her ability to drive towards the hoop may appear reckless at times, but it frequently results in two points for the Niwot High School girls basketball team. Through the first seven games of her sophomore season, Pacheco is averaging a team-best 11.3 points per game.

Pacheco's success remains one of the few bright spots of what has been an otherwise difficult 0-7 start for the Cougars. Still, she remains optimistic that Niwot, a team without a single senior starter, can improve.

"We're all really young," Pacheco said. "I think we have a lot of potential and I'm really looking forward to our next game because I think we'll be better and we're improving. It's definitely harder, though, because we lost our seniors from last year."

Especially for a team still looking for answers, each game offers an opportunity to learn from the mistakes made, and the Cougars learned plenty from a 55-38 loss to Longmont on Dec. 20. Niwot had kept pace until midway through the second quarter, tied at 18, when the Trojans went on a 12-0 run to ultimately put the game out of reach.

"We just need to focus on the little things and keep the energy up," Pacheco said. "Sometimes we think we're tired and we're good, but then we don't put as much effort into it, so that's what makes us lose games."

Although she plays a significant role as Niwot's starting point guard, Pacheco, whose father Mark is an assistant coach, is still developing by the day along with the rest of her team.

Looking at her on-court production, though, Pacheco appears to be a quick learner. She averaged nine points per game as a freshman last year and so far in 2022-23, she has improved upon that number. Even more, she's currently tied with fellow sophomore Thalia Almaraz for the team lead in assists per game (1.3). Pacheco's 3-point shooting has also jumped from 26% to 29% this season, giving the downhill guard a dangerous extra weapon in her arsenal.

Niwot will enjoy some time off before it hosts Thompson Valley on Dec. 10.