Point Loma Nazarene University freshman point guard, Kate Bobadilla, described her basketball origin story as universal. It began with her older brother, an outdoor hoop, and a sibling rivalry.

“My urge to be better than my brother started my love for basketball,” Bobadilla said with a laugh. “I would get mad at my dad because he would always practice with my brother, but he would never practice with me; so, I would always challenge my brother and try to play him one-on-one.”

Because of the limitations of girls’ basketball in her hometown, Bobadilla, a native of Twentynine Palms, needed extra motivation from her brother, who she called one of her biggest influences.

“We [girls] are a very small basketball community,” she said. “If we had the resources of a bigger city, more girls would play – I don’t think many people get committed to the sport.”

A four-year varsity player, Bobadilla walked into the Twentynine Palms high school gym, on day one, adept at putting the ball in the hoop. As a freshman, she averaged over 19 points per game. Had she not lost almost an entire season because of COVID, Bobadilla would have more than likely set the school record for points scored.

“Her ability to change pace offensively and get to the rim was very impressive,” said Grace Ricafranca, PLNU assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. “As a lefty, she can make passes to teammates with both hands. What I really love about her game is her confidence.”

Coming out of high school at 5 feet 5 inches tall – now listed, perhaps generously, at 5 feet 8 inches tall – Bobadilla was named Twentynine Palms athlete of the year three times and was first-team all-state in 2021.

“I speak often about her character,” Ricafranca said. “Who she is and the work that she wants to put in is what’s going to make her great – so I am really excited about her future.”

Beyond what was lost in the stat book, the pandemic also created unique challenges for high school athletes at a critical time of development. The only way for Bobadilla to combat lost practices and games was to sharpen her skillset through individual drills and work ethic.

“COVID had a huge impact on everything,” Bobadilla said. “We stopped practicing together, but we still had emails telling us what we should do individually. That year and a half without real competition; you can do cardio all you want but your stamina is not the same. It also made the recruiting process hard, but it gave me time to step away from the competitive aspect of basketball and recenter myself as to why I started playing.”

“In the high school season, you get that opportunity to really hone in on skill development,” Ricafranca added. “You get those games taken away you don’t get those back. As much as you can be at home working on things, it doesn’t create the same experience as being able to play in five-on-five game situations – it was a hindrance not only for her but everyone playing high school at the time.”

In the early stages of her freshman season with PLNU, Bobadilla has played sparingly and has struggled from the floor, shooting just five of 24 through the teams’ first nine games. But there have been flashes. In a Nov. 12 loss to Cal Poly Pomona, Bobadilla made the most of her minutes, shooting three of five from beyond the three-point line.

“The adjustment to college has been really challenging but worth it,” Bobadilla said. “I’ve struggled a bit adjusting to having a whole new coaching staff and figuring out how to play my game within their system.”

“We are a little systemic with what we want to do,” Ricafranca added. “For her in high school, it was a lot of dribble-drive and create, whereas here we have certain looks that we are looking for. With any freshman, it’s continuing to learn what the role is for her in creating shots for herself and her teammates.”

In limited minutes, shots have yet to fall for Bobadilla, but her approach on the defensive side of the ball, hounding opposing guards, has been reminiscent of a backyard game between her and her brother.

“What she is doing well is bringing good energy off the bench,” Ricafranca said. “She is aggressive on the ball with a lot of pressure. She can create a lot of havoc for the guards she is defending. I am looking forward to exploring more of that while getting her acclimated to our system. She is going to be a good player when everything comes together.”

The long-term expectations of Bobadilla are high. By her senior year, Ricafranca said of her game “she could be one of the best two-way players we could have at Point Loma.”

Between now and then, it comes down to the work Bobadilla puts in.

“Something about Kate, she is always going to be willing to put in the work,” Ricafranca said. “That is where the confidence comes from. As an example, she didn’t play big minutes in our game last night and she is in the gym today doing an individual workout, working on the things she needs in her arsenal to make more of an impact offensively and defensively.”