Players from across the world have been recruited by Head Coach Joe Tartamella for his Women’s Basketball team. From Israel to Michigan, a diverse set of players have been selected for St. John’s. However, for some, there is no place like home. As he turned to the transfer portal for this upcoming season, Tartamella found two New Yorkers wanting to return home for their final collegiate years – graduate student Danielle Patterson and senior Danielle Consgrove.
Danielle Patterson: Returning to Queens
Patterson is Queens born and raised. She graduated high school in 2017 from The Mary Louis Academy in Jamaica Estates before she headed to Indiana University. After completing her undergraduate degree in sports media, she could not pass up on the chance to return home and play for St. John’s. Her family will no longer have to simply watch her through the television screen. They can simply hop on the E or F train to see their daughter play live at Carnesecca Arena.
“I’ve been away for four years, so I just wanted to come back home and get the chance to play in front of my family, my friends,” she told The Torch. “I’ve known Coach [Joe] Tartamella for quite a long time, and to get the chance to be coached by him and his coaching staff was something I didn’t want to pass up.”
The 6’ 2” guard has known Tartamella since grade school, telling The Torch that she probably first spoke to him in middle school.
“He has had a lot of New York talent over the years and I’m now glad to be a part of that,” she said.
Her prior experience at Indiana University includes seeing the court in 14 games. The Hoosiers went 21-6 in her final season, making it to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament before falling to Arizona University. Patterson acknowledges that she has played with exceptional players, and it is from them that she has developed as a player and a leader.
“I try to think about how they led, and the example that they set in practice, and how hard they worked,” she said. “Those are the things that I try to take with me into practice and into game situations.”
As one of the two graduate students on the team, she recognizes the seniority that she holds on the team, and the responsibilities that come with that.
“We want to have a change this season, we want to be able to compete in big games, and it starts one day at a time,” she said. “I think my leadership will help, and they pick me up when I’m down, and I hope I can do the same for them.”
Her own game is a “power game,” she claims. She likes getting into the basket, and has been a mid-range shooter for much of her career. Now, she has been working on her three point shooting and footwork for the upcoming season. Her goal is to improve throughout the season, so when the post-season arrives, her team is ready for Big East conference play.
“What I try to do is always remember to take one day at a time, take one practice at a time,” she said. “We don’t want to play our best basketball right now, we want to play our best basketball down the road in March, and it starts with coming in every day and getting one percent better. Coach reminds us all the time not to take our foot off the gas pedal, to just come in everyday ready to go.”
Danielle Cosgrove: From Fighting Irish to a Johnnie
Long Island native Danielle Cosgrove spent her last three years at Notre Dame University. After taking a leave of absence to focus on her mental health soon after her first game her junior year, she entered the transfer portal at the conclusion of the season. In her time with the Fighting Irish, she played in 60 games, shooting 27.5 percent from the three-point line, with a measly 28.125 percent field goal percentage. Similar to Patterson, Cosgrove and Tartamella had a relationship before this year.
“Me and Coach had a previous relationship with recruiting through high school, so we’ve had that bond before I had gotten here,” she told The Torch “But the relationship that we have right now is incredible because he has given me the opportunity not only to come home and compete, family and friends, and all that kind of stuff. But he’s incredibly supportive.”
Her new team has contributions coming from all different directions. In particular, she notes Camree Clegg for “knowing the offense and defense inside out.” After a career of learning from high level players and coaches, she feels she looks at the game in a different way, bringing a level of composure that she is proud of.
Looking Ahead
The two women joining the roster, Patterson and Cosgrove, will need to play important roles alongside stars Leilani Correa and Kadaja Bailey. The shoes they fill are large ones—Qadashah Hoppie transferred from St. John’s this season and scored over 1,000 points in her career.
However, Hoppie was in and out of the starting five last season due to injury, leading to a convoluted game plan throughout the season. Tartamella now has time to prepare a plan for how to use the players available to him, and he’s excited for the season. “Our team is energized,” Tartamella said. “We’re really excited about where we’re going.”
