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Maria Vaccaro couldn’t escape basketball, even if she wanted to. Her father, David Vaccaro, played at Clarkson University from 1987-91. Alongside her 11 siblings, Maria spent hours on the court outside her home practicing. Her older brothers, Alex and Jake Vaccaro, played at Oneida High School, driving her to eventually reach that level.

“Maria is a competitor, and she’s always wanted to compete with her siblings,” David said. “She’s always wanted to be as good as her brothers.”

As a freshman last season, Maria was named the Onondaga High School League Liberty Player of the Year after averaging 17.5 points per game. She also earned All-League First Team honors and scored 384 points, second-most among Section Three freshmen. She joined Cazenovia High School’s varsity basketball team after playing for Oneida’s varsity team in eighth grade.

Now, as a sophomore, Maria’s increased her production to 22 points per game and has accounted for more than half of Cazenovia’s scoring (239 out of 454 points). But she still sees room to grow.

“She is constantly working to get better,” Cazenovia head coach Erin Ison said. “She has a true love of the game.”

Maria started playing basketball in kindergarten, running around the court with her siblings. Maria joined her sister, Claire Vaccaro, on the Syracuse Nets, an AAU team based in Brewerton, New York. She developed with basketball camps at Colgate and the Nets before joining the Oneida High School varsity squad in eighth grade.

Although she was unfamiliar with the pace of varsity basketball, the intensity of the Nets allowed her to quickly become comfortable to the increased speed.

After one year at Oneida, Maria’s family moved to Cazenovia, which brought its own challenges. The school’s small size was initially difficult for her to get used to, since everyone was already close to each other, she said.

At Cazenovia, Maria adopted a rigorous training routine. After basketball practices, she further honed her skills at home with her siblings or David, which Ison helped to lead to her success. She also uses weights to build strength and is often found doing jumping jacks in her living room, David said.

Ison uses Maria as both a guard and at the post. Her 6-foot-1 frame and skill give her a major advantage over most of the teams Cazenovia faces, Ison said. Maria’s work ethic has also given Ison confidence in pressure-filled situations.

“Late in the game, if we need a game-winning shot, we’ll draw up a play and we’ll try to get the ball to Maria,” Ison said.

Maria’s most significant growth hasn’t come from her technical skills, though, Ison said. As a freshman, she comfortably developed into a leader, and Ison sees that role expanding into her sophomore year. Ison said younger players even look up to Maria.

Although Cazenovia still has seven games left, Maria’s looking toward the future. During the offseason, she plans to improve her dribbling, defense and speed, while continuing to play AAU and attend college basketball camps.

“There’s so many aspects that you can improve on and that you contribute to in a game,” Maria said. “And I really think basketball is one of the best sports.”

Published on January 27, 2026 at 10:30 pm