Savino has made the seamless transition from manager to the GW starting lineup
By: Eric Detweiler, GW Athletic Communications
GW (6-11, 3-1 A-10) vs. George Mason (9-8, 1-3 A-10)
WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 19 | 2 p.m. WHERE: Washington, D.C. (Charlest E. Smith Center) GAME NOTES: Link FOLLOW:Live Stats WATCH: ESPN+
Anna Savino scanned her personal cheering section and soaked in the scene for a moment.
The group, about 50 people strong, had set up in the bleachers right behind the GW bench at Iona's Hynes Center, most of them wearing white t-shirts emblazoned with her photo.
Savino's parents, Judy and Joe, led the contingent of family and friends, passing out the shirts and pictures of her face on sticks. The manager-turned-walk-on guard spotted her first basketball coach, a friend's mother who'd convinced her to join a rec team in second grade, and her high school coach, along with most of the current team at Ursuline School from just down the street.
Not to be outdone, her brother Joseph stood by waving a GW flag dressed as George Washington himself, his striking ensemble complete with blue coat, buff knickers and white wig.
Savino had kept it a secret that she'd earned her first career start in her New York City homecoming on Nov. 18. Her fan club found out together before the Colonials faced the Gaels, roaring with delight when her name was called during pregame introductions and exploding again when she knocked down a corner 3-pointer for the game's first points.
"I got chills," Savino said. "It was just really exciting to see all of them there for me." The Savino family and friends following Anna's first start at Iona.
With good reason, Savino's incredible story – highlighted by that memorable day at Iona – has garnered plenty of attention this season. She's made a seamless transition from working behind the scenes as a manager to the GW starting lineup.
Savino has done it by exemplifying what head coach Jennifer Rizzotti looks for in a guard. The Bronx, N.Y. native has worked hard on both ends, spoken up as a leader and kept the team first to earn the coach's trust, regular minutes in the backcourt and a scholarship for the spring semester.
She's made the most of every opportunity, bringing a much-needed dose of veteran savvy to the youthful Colonials, who enter Saturday's game against George Mason at Smith Center on a three-game winning streak.
"It couldn't have happened to someone more deserving than Anna," senior Kelsi Mahoney said. "She's just the most passionate, kind-hearted, determined person I've ever met, and I've seen it throughout our whole four years here at GW. She cares so deeply about this team." Savino (in blue on left) served a team manager for the Colonials her first three years on campus.
Flashing back four years, Savino had options to play collegiately at Division II and III schools coming out of Ursuline School, but she wasn't exactly a Division I prospect mostly playing under the basket at 5-foot-7.
Her brother was already at GW, and visits to see him helped seal her decision. She liked the city campus and targeted the Sport, Event and Hospitality Management major with an eye on a career in basketball.
"I got into a few other schools," Savino said, "but once I got into GW, I knew that this is where I wanted to go."
That meant finding other ways to stay involved with her favorite sport.
In her first month in Foggy Bottom, Savino joined the Colonials as a manager, eager to learn the ropes and help however she could.
She dove into the often-thankless role with the passion she'd long brought to the court. She handled every task, even laundry duty, with a sense of purpose and a smile.
Soon, she was traveling regularly on road trips, a duty usually reserved for more experienced managers. The Colonials, particularly classmates Mahoney and Mei-Lyn Bautista, quickly became her best friends.
"It's a lot of work," Savino said, "but it's definitely worth it."
Meantime, Savino joined the club basketball team and continued working on her game. She took part in pickup games with the Colonials whenever she could and often faced off against guys at the Lerner Health and Wellness Center.
Along the way, her game evolved with her outside jumper and ballhandling improving to match her competition. By the end of last season, Savino started to wonder if she could help on the court.
Savino credits her boyfriend Jack Granger for pushing her to act on that dream. Granger made a similar jump for the men's team last season, going from star manager to reserve guard as a senior.
Savino figured it didn't hurt to ask Rizzotti, but first, she had one more concern. Savino (center) with best friends, roommates, and teammates Mei-Lyn Bautista (left) and Kelsi Mahoney (right) during the team's trip to Spain in August.
A few weeks after the end of last spring semester, Savino sent a long text message to her group chat with Mahoney and Bautista.
"I had to check with them," Savino said. "I wanted them to know from the start that it's still their team 100 percent. I just wanted to be a bigger part of it for my senior year."
Mahoney remembers tearing up reading Savino's note while at her internship. Both she and Bautista quickly offered their blessing.
"She completes our senior class, for sure," Mahoney said. "Mei and I love each other, and we love playing together, but we wouldn't change this for the world. We're just the three best friends out there on the basketball court."
All that was left was to prove it to Rizzotti. The coach had heard from her players that Savino could play, but she'd never seen her in action.
They made plans for a fall tryout period, but first, the Colonials were headed to Spain for their August foreign tour. There, Savino did her part to keep the trip running smoothly, including hauling bags, collecting laundry and filming games.
"It was a nice last ride as a manager," Savino said with a smile.
Back in Foggy Bottom, Rizzotti hoped Savino could provide some depth, at least in practice, after a couple of injuries left the Colonials short-handed. The manager aced her tryout by using the lessons she'd learned from shadowing the former All-American point guard on the sideline.
"I just tried to show I was a hard worker, that I would learn quickly," Savino said. "I showed a lot of hustle. I would talk a lot. I tried to give a lot of high-fives. The little things that I knew coach Rizzotti likes in a player, I just tried to really outdo myself in those aspects."
Those same qualities have earned Savino more than a roster spot. Savino enters Saturday's action averaging 22.4 minutes per game, having started 14 games for the Colonials.
Since earning a spot on the team, she's impressed with her ability to understand and execute what Rizzotti wants to do. She's been a coach on the court, bringing vocal leadership and other intangibles crucial for a still-learning squad.
"She obviously paid attention for three years," Rizzotti said. "She wasn't just getting people water and towels. She was listening when I was talking; she was listening in practice; she was listening in the huddles. And I think that's really gone a long way for her."
Rizzotti has rewarded Savino throughout the season for those continued contributions.
After GW's early-season loss to Maryland, the coach told the team the five players working the hardest in practice would be in the starting lineup. That meant Savino would be a starter in her hometown at Iona and likely beyond.
"I didn't want her to think that this was just some sort of one-game thing," Rizzotti said. "I told her, 'This isn't a gimmick. I'm not starting you because you're going up to see your family. You've earned it.'"
Against the Gaels, Savino stepped up in her debut start with the quick 3-pointer off a pass from Neila Luma to a thunderous applause in a scene ripped straight from Hollywood.
"It gave me goosebumps," Mahoney said. "I was fist pumping in the air like no other because you just want to see her succeed."
Since then, Savino has started 13 straight games. She's delivered steady play as advertised with hard-nosed defending and the occasional deep ball to stretch the floor.
Each time out, she's feeling more confident in what's expected. Most important, it has translated into more success for the Colonials, who have recovered from a rugged start to grab a familiar place near the top of the A-10 standings.
"Mei and Kelsi and I have said no matter what we just want to have fun in our senior year," Savino said. "All of us just want to make it a really special year. We want to make it something memorable."
The pinch-me moments, great and small, have already piled up for Savino.
On the first road trip of the season, Savino went to grab an equipment bag off the bus out of sheer habit before being shooed away.
On GW's latest foreign excursion, she was in the starting lineup for November games in Mexico against ACC powers Georgia Tech and NC State rather than worrying about where to fill the water jug or the the best angle to film the action.
Then, there was her breakout performance against Mercer on Dec. 21 in which she hit four 3-pointers en route to a career-best 12 points.
The latest chapter in Savino's spectacular tale came last week in Rhode Island via an unforgettable surprise.
When Savino mustered the courage to ask Rizzotti for a tryout, she never dared to imagine the coach might someday present her with scholarship papers. Yet six months later, she's a walk-on no more.
"I honestly didn't expect it at all," Savino said. "When Coach Rizz told me, I teared up a little bit. She told me that I really deserve it, and to hear that from her really means a lot. It was honestly the greatest feeling in the world.
"What was even better was that my teammates were so excited for me. That made it 10,000 times better. They were all jumping up and down so happy for me. It really showed me how much they care about me and how much they really want me on the team."
