Senior guard Sofia Corral is a very self-aware player, knowing what she needs to do to continue to improve her game for Aurora Central Catholic.
Without much provocation, Coral realized if she was meant to play at the next level, she needed to add consistent 3-point shooting to her already diverse portfolio.
“In college, that’s a huge thing,” Corral said. “You need to be able to hit threes. That’s such a major part of transitioning into the college role. I want to become super consistent with that.
“Not think about it — just trust it and let it fly whenever.”
Riley Cwinski, a four-year varsity teammate and St. Francis commit, has seen the improvement in that part of Corral’s game.
“Sofia’s game has evolved so much over the years,” Cwinski said. “Coming in, she was a point guard. Her passing and getting to the basket has been there. I can see all of her confidence now with the three.”
The same confidence can be said about the Chargers (8-1), who are off a great start this season, the lone loss coming in overtime to West Aurora. Corral has been in the middle of it all again.
ACC coach LeVada Smith, who recently won his 100th game for the Chargers, has embraced Corral’s evolution this season.
“She’s willing to take the 3-point shot more and more this year,” Smith said. “This year we’ve taken the ball out of her hands as far as the point, and that helps her get open on the floor more often.
“I think it helps in the sense of it lightens her load where she doesn’t have to have the ball all the time. It allows her to be more of an athlete.”
The Chargers have played in a lot of lopsided games this season, so Corral is only averaging 20 minutes. In that time, she’s averaging 10.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 3.0 steals and a blocked shot.
Although she has expanded her game past the 3-point line, she’s still shooting 50% from the field.
“I can pretty much tell her to go do whatever,” Smith said. “She’ll guard the best player, bring the ball up. She does the little things. She’s taking more charges and diving on the floor now.”
Sofia Corral holds the plaque after Aurora Central Catholic defeated the host Indians in the Class 2A Marengo Regional championship game on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023. (Michael Schmidt / The Beacon-News)
Corral was already adept at getting to the basket and making plays with her midrange game as well. With her skills as a point guard distributing the ball and her length on the defensive end, she has gained the attention of many college programs.
Where she wound up committing, however, was a surprise even to her. Corral went with her father for a long weekend on the East Coast over the summer, hitting up some camps to try to drum up interest in her services.
One day, at a camp at Pennsylvania, the coaches from New York University were there. They immediately expressed an interest in Corral.
“It was me and my dad’s last run to see what would happen,” Corral said. “NYU was there and (head coach Meg Barber) was there and said she really liked how I played. She said, while you’re here, come visit campus and see the facilities and see what NYU has to offer.”
Aurora Central Catholic’s Sofia Corral (33) drives against Metea Valley during a nonconference game in Aurora on Monday, Dec. 4, 2023. (H. Rick Bamman / The Beacon-News)
Corral fell in love both with the program and the options she could have with her interest in life sciences, suddenly finding her future home.
“Having the NYU name on your diploma is so beneficial after school,” Corral said. “It was a big sigh of relief.”
Corral also wants to end her ACC run on a high note. After the Chargers were upset by Stillman Valley in the regional last season, Corral has visions of advancing far beyond.
“That’s going to drive our team in an unimaginable way to win this year,” Corral said. “We’re seniors. This is our last ride. We want to make the most of it, and the girls are feeding off it, too.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
