On-Campus Report: Now at RMU, Blackhawk's Amalia plays to honor legacy of her late father

Editor’s note: This article is a part of a weekly series that the Beaver County Times will publish every Tuesday titled the “On-Campus Report,” where sports reporter Parth Upadhyaya will catch up with former Beaver Valley high school stars who are now in the collegiate ranks.

Whenever Mackenzie Amalia’s phone rang leading up to game nights for the Blackhawk High School girls basketball team during the 2020-21 season, she knew what she had to do.

Often, on the other end of the line would be Cougars longtime head coach Steve Lodovico, now in his 17th year with the program, ready to pick Amalia’s brain about his team’s game plan and strategy. A freshman at Robert Morris at the time, Amalia, a former all-state guard and 2020 Blackhawk graduate, was tasked with playing a role she’d become all too familiar with over the years — not through her own experiences, though.

Bob Amalia — Mackenzie’s father — spent 20 years as Blackhawk’s head baseball coach while also serving as an assistant for the girls basketball team on Lodovico’s staff. On Nov. 9, 2020, he died from cancer. In the months following his death, Amalia found ways to stay connected to her dad’s legacy. One of those ways was by helping Lodovico map out X's and O's ahead of games, something that Bob Amalia had been especially known to do well.

“I was kind of acting as my dad and tweaking his plays last year,” Amalia laughed as she told the Beaver County Times in a recent interview. “(Lodovico) would call me for some games, and I would call him to talk about his games.”

During a high school career (from 2016-20) in which she earned all-state honors in three of her four years, Amalia — now a 5-foot-5 sophomore reserve for the Colonials — had the opportunity to compete for the Cougars with her father helping coach her and her teammates. Now, Amalia says she still continues to play for him — only in a different way.

Through RMU’s 23 games so far, Amalia has averaged 4.7 points, 1.1 assists and 1.8 rebounds for the 11-12 Colonials. Grieving the loss of her father while adjusting to a role completely unidentical to the one she played as a focal point of Lodovico’s offenses has been difficult, to say the least, but she’s found ways to overcome adversity. She knows that’s what her father would've wanted.

The Times caught up with Amalia in a conversation with topics ranging from what it was like to grow up immersed in Blackhawk basketball, how she’s inspired by her father and in what ways — both on and off the court — she’s seen herself grow since arriving at RMU in 2020.

Beaver County Times: With you having grown up around Blackhawk athletics because of who your father was — and with the school having such storied basketball programs on the girls’ and boys’ sides — did you watch a lot of Cougars basketball growing up?

Mackenzie Amalia: I was actually a manager for the high school team for four years before (I got to Blackhawk). So I had a lot of experience watching them.

I grew up watching the team with Chassidy Omogrosso, Courtney Vannoy and Danielle Lovato. And then I was there (as a manager) whenever my sister (Madison) was a freshman (in the 2013-14 season) — they actually won the state championship that year also. So, it was cool being there with my sister whenever they won that. But, yeah, I had a lot of experience watching their games from a young age.

BCT: When you look back at your time as a Blackhawk Cougar, what are some of your fondest memories?

Amalia: I specifically remember one of my favorite memories from high school was my senior year, whenever we were playing Trinity at Trinity (in a 64-58 win on Dec. 7, 2019) — it was an awesome game. It was really close down the stretch. And our fans were super involved. We were extremely hyped for that game. And that is one of my favorite memories, for sure.

BCT: What are some things you learned from playing for a head coach like Steve Lodovico, who’s won two PIAA titles and three WPIAL titles in a 17-year career?

Amalia: I loved playing for Coach Lodovico. He was one of my favorite coaches. I’ll have to say my dad was my first favorite coach.

(Lodovico) was an amazing coach. It was really awesome because he let me play my game, but also was able to coach me in the things that I could get better at. But he wouldn’t keep me from playing my game at all. So, I had the boundaries and I had the coaching, but I was still able to be the player that I was.

BCT: In what ways does the legacy that your father has left behind inspire you every day?

Amalia: His determination (and) his passion to win and just bring the best out of people is something that I really aspire for myself.

I mean, he always was being positive and encouraging with players, but while also coaching them. He just had such passion and energy that was so contagious for the players. And I just aspire to be like him. Because I saw throughout many players (what) he would bring out (of them).

BCT: What kept you grounded in the fall of 2020, when you were trying to cope with the death of your father while also learning to adjust to college and college basketball?

Amalia: It was really tough. I took some time off from school and from basketball. And the coaches allowed me to go home and spend time with my family.

And then, I actually got COVID after that. So, it was even longer of a break. But I mean, it was tough. And it was tough to get back. But I think just knowing that my dad would have wanted me here — he would have wanted me to continue playing my hardest and practicing every day — really drove me to want to get back and continue working my hardest. Because I know that’s what he would want for me. And I wanted to do that for him.

BCT: Where have you seen yourself grow the most in your time at Robert Morris so far, both on and off the court?

Amalia: I think I have seen my game change here at Robert Morris. And I think I have grown to kind of become the player that they need me to be. And so, instead of trying to be something that they don’t need me to be, I want to be what they’re searching for in me.

In high school, I was used to all the scoring and having a lot of pressure on me. So here, it’s more of being a humble player — and it’s (more about) the little things. So I think I’ve seen myself grow to appreciate those little things in the game more, like taking a charge or making a nice pass or running to help your teammate up. Just being a great teammate. I think I’ve seen myself grow a lot.

BCT: What has it taken for you to go from being a high school superstar — scoring all these points and having numbers that would regularly jump off the stat sheet — to now finding ways to make an impact that maybe the average fan wouldn’t see?

Amalia: It was definitely a change. But I just had to recognize what my role is on this team and be able to succeed at that and find how I can be my best player while doing those things that they need me to do.

BCT: As you look ahead at the rest of your collegiate career, what are some things you hope to accomplish before you leave RMU?

Amalia: I definitely want to see myself continue to grow as a player and in the classroom. And I would love to make it to the Horizon League championship and hopefully win it one day and then go to the NCAA Tournament — but those are big goals.

So, I think, just growing each day is one of the biggest things I want to see for myself. Growth in each day and just continuing to love the game of basketball.

Contact Parth Upadhyaya at pupadhyaya@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @pupadhyaya_.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Former Blackhawk star Amalia honors legacy of late father with RMU