Reebok Top 25 Most Dynamic Athletes: Danielle Cuttino

As a 6-foot-1 eighth-grader, Danielle Cuttino already was an established basketball player in the middle school system in Avon, Ind.

She elected to try volleyball, too, but having no background in the sport, she was cut.

Now the head volleyball coach at Ben Davis (Indianapolis), Carl Lucas told MaxPreps, "It was the middle school's serious error in my judgment by not accepting her on the team. She was tall and athletic, but just didn't have the experience."

Getting cut didn't keep Cuttino from trying out again as a freshman when her family moved into the Ben Davis school district. Ben Davis is the largest school in Indiana with 4,099 students in grades 9-12.



See our special Danielle Cuttino photo gallery

She made the freshman volleyball team, calling herself "a good blocker, but I didn't really know how to play." She had a much bigger impact on the JV basketball team by posting single-game highs of 30 points and 15 rebounds.

The next year Lucas moved from JV coach at Avon to head coach at Ben Davis, his alma mater, and Cuttino's future in volleyball was secured. And what a future it has become. Cuttino was just named to the USA Volleyball Youth National Team, which is competing this week at FIVB U-18 World Championships in Thailand.

And to top it all off, she carries a 4.2 GPA with many weighted classes.

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Hometown: Indianapolis

School: Ben Davis High (enrollment 4,099)



Class: 2014

Sports: Volleyball and basketball

College plans: Has committed to Purdue University for volleyball and plans to major in pharmacology. Had 15 other offers, including Florida, Texas, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Oregon.

Favorite athlete: Lisa Leslie "Because she's tall and I kind of went through the same things in life, overcoming obstacles."

Coach speak: "She plays for her team, works hard and doesn't need the spotlight. She's an incredible player who impacts every team she plays on. She has become a really powerful hitter, real explosive. She will have a significant role (at Purdue)."
- Head volleyball coach Carl Lucas
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Now 6-4, Cuttino said the thing she loves most about volleyball is "How I can still be super aggressive and athletic without having that physical contact with another person. I'm really good at blocking and transition plays. Carl is really a good teacher and patient with me. He encouraged me to go out for club volleyball (Circle City). It really jump-started my volleyball career."

Cuttino is one of the nation's top 50 players. Being ranked so high nationally following such a humble beginning, she observed, "It's awesome, because it just says if you really want something bad enough nothing is impossible."



Here are some of her volleyball accolades:
 * The rangy middle blocker is ranked among the nation's top 50 rising senior players by PrepVolleyball.com.

* She's one of 12 players to make it to the USA Under-17 team that is playing in Thailand.

* Though serving is not one of her major strengths, she served the last eight points during a come-from-behind, five-set victory over arch rival North Central (Indianapolis).

* She has led the Giants in nearly every category for the past two years, amassing totals of 432 kills, 179 blocks, 102 block assists and 77 solo blocks.
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Conceding that basketball was her first love, Cuttino said, "I love blocking shots. You have to work together more as a team, become more like a real family. She doesn't play AAU basketball, so "It makes me work harder in practice. I still love basketball and want to get better." Facing double- and triple-teaming in the post as a junior, she noted, "I had to learn to be more of an assist person - even when I was two feet from the rim."

Basketball coach Joe Lentz said "She's much more confident and stronger in the post. She runs the floor well. She has long arms, good timing and a good vertical jump. She's a leader by example and a really neat kid. She could certainly be a huge factor for us with her senior leadership, scoring and blocking."

Here are some of her basketball accomplishments:
* She's one of 18 players to make the Junior All-Stars, giving her a head start toward a berth on the prestigious Indiana All-Star team next year. She admitted, "I was super surprised. It's such an honor."



* She became a starter in the middle of her sophomore year at one of the state's premier schools for girls basketball, finishing with averages of 6.3 points and 7.1 rebounds.

* As a junior she raised her averages to 8.5 points and 9.4 rebounds while blocking 45 shots and shooting 48 percent from the field.

* She ranks 10th in career rebounds with 435 and is tied for No. 4 in career blocks with 75.