RallyNorth.net

Reggies' Aguirre learning to lead by example

Tuesday, January, 22 By Alan Siegel
Staff writer

The words "hope" and "faith" are scripted in black ink on Tiffany Aguirre's left arm.

It's a fitting tattoo. After all, the sophomore is trying to instill both tenets in her teammates.

"She wants to be a leader," Greater Lawrence coach Tricia Fleming said. "She still is, in my opinion, isn't even where she could be."

Aguirre is still learning, Fleming said. But that's no knock.

A year after her team finished a 17-7 season with a loss in the Division 4 North semifinals, the 5-foot-1 sophomore point guard is becoming a force.

"I knew how good she was as a player," Fleming said. "She kind of sat back and let the seniors do their job (last year). She had to wait to get in the spotlight a little bit."

Aguirre leads the Reggies (4-4) in scoring at 13.1 points per game, nearly double her average (6.71 ppg) last year. The Methuen resident is slowly growing into the role she'll play for the next few seasons.

"She's a little timid at times," Fleming said. "She's working hard at it."

At times, life is hectic for Aguirre. She works at Dunkin' Donuts on weekends and juggles basketball and classes, which include culinary training. She shares her love of cooking with her father Marcos. Whether it's something simple like pizza, or more adventurous like the rice and beans of her family's Puerto Rican ancestry, she tries to cook daily.

Her sister Anna, who starred (18.3 ppg) at Methuen High last season, has been an important figure in Tiffany's life. Anna took a year off from hoops as a junior before coming back to finish her schoolgirl career with a flourish. She's equal parts sounding board and motivator to Tiffany.

"I watched everything she did," Tiffany said. "People say, 'You're just like your sister.' That's a big compliment." Anna, who's taking courses in criminal justice at Lincoln Technical Institute, has attended all eight of Greater Lawrence's games. And she's not afraid to report back to Fleming.

One morning, Tiffany was late for practice. She had overslept. Anna called Fleming.

"'Coach,'" she said, "'you better wake her up. She's not waking up."

There are still times she needs to be reminded of her place on the team. But she's young. It's to be expected, Fleming said.

"She still doesn't know how to push herself," Fleming said, but, "she truly, truly wants to get to that spot."

As she practiced yesterday, Aguirre looked like the most confident player on the floor, running her teammates through weave drills.

After all, this is a girl who played Pop Warner football at age 10. Still, she said, hoops has always been her favorite. "Basketball's your talent," she said friends have told her over the years.

She hopes to one day play basketball in college. For now, though, she's concentrating on success in high school. "Tiffany has a lot of work to do," Fleming said. "But she wants it."