Toughness and grit are always two qualities that college coaches look for, and while she is only 5'9", don't tell forward Mariah Gonzalez (Watkins Glen '18) that she can't mix it up inside as she has proven herself to be one of the more fearless and tenacious players around the basket in New York, while also expanding her game to the perimeter at the same time.

At just 5'9", Gonzalez has been asked to play a number of roles throughout her H.S. and AAU careers so far. At Watkins Glen she plays more the role of a 4 as the team's lead rebounder and an effective scorer inside. With her AAU team the NDO Hornets she has learned to stretch out more and be a more natural 2/3 player, so according to NDO program director Greg Johnson, Gonzalez gives you the best of both worlds.

"She is versatile, but what she really is going to give you is that dog," Johnson said with a smile. "She is going to bang, she is going to move, she is going to do everything you need her to do. She is learning to drift more to the perimeter because she had to be a 4 at her high school, but one thing you will always get from Mariah is max effort."

If you ask Gonzalez to do one thing, expect to get that plus something else according to Johnson because he has seen firsthand that's the kind of player she is.

Never content with just doing what she can, Gonzalez always strives to do that plus more because she has always had that drive to do whatever she can for her team getting the win.

Johnson agreed noting that she may never score 10 points per game on the AAU level, but when you rebound, pass, defend, and give effort the way that Gonzalez does, colleges will come a looking.

"Mariah can go to any spot from the 2 spot to the 5 spot, and that's what makes her so intriguing," Johnson explained. "She is going to get a scholarship with having averaged 10 points per game in AAU because she is going to play as hard as she can every single second she is on the court."

That is a major reason why her recruitment is already heating up. She doesn't have her first offer as of yet but Johnson says that the likes of Holy Cross, Bucknell, Siena, and New Hampshire are already calling quite a bit, with a second unofficial visit already lined up to Siena, showing how interested they truly are in the all-around talents of Gonzalez.

With her every expanding skill set still a work in progress the future is definitely bright for Gonzalez, and while she had a strong summer with the NDO Hornets, Johnson believes that an even bigger summer is in store for her in 2017.

"She did everything we could've wanted and asked for this summer and I am expecting that, plus even more, next year."