As a first-year, Christian Fioretti, now a fourth-year guard on the men’s basketball team, started in only three of 25 games. That modest start to his college career has led him to become an incredible team leader, and — in his final season — Fioretti has started in 72 straight games for the Yeomen.

“When [Christian] got to Oberlin, I think he felt a lack of security with what his role was and would ultimately become,” said Head Men’s Basketball Coach Isaiah Cavaco. “Having played small roles early in his career to where he is now gives him the ability to connect with all the players on different levels.”

Helping his teammates thrive has been one of Fioretti’s many strengths in a career full of highlights. On Jan. 22, in a game against the Allegheny College Gators, his selflessness took center stage as he became the school’s all-time leader in career assists, with 362. For his teammate, College fourth-year Charlie Tiedemann, this accomplishment wasn’t a surprise.

“I’d say 60–70 percent of all my points in my career have been assisted by Christian,” said Tiedemann. “He is always looking for the best shot available on the court at all times. His vision is really good.”

While his record is an impressive accomplishment, for Fioretti, it was all just part of his responsibilities as a member of the team.

“My job on the team is to be a creator,” said Fioretti. “I take a lot of pride in my playmaking ability and making my teammates better, so it was really exciting for me to get into the record books. I’ve been a point guard my whole basketball career and have put a ton of hard work into it all the way along.” 

His hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed. Both coaches and teammates alike see the work Fioretti puts into his game day after day.

“Christian leads by example,” said Tiedemann. “He works his butt off and never asks anything of anyone that he wouldn’t be willing to do himself.”

Cavaco agrees and sees Fioretti’s work ethic as directly responsible for his growth as a player.

“Christian is extremely competitive, so when he views himself as being something less than great in an area of his game, he works tirelessly to improve it,” said Cavaco. “As a younger player, that drive to improve sometimes overshadowed all the positives he already had. Now, he’s gotten himself to the point where he’s good at lots of things, so he channels that competitive streak to making the right plays on the court.”

Other than “prolific,” “overshadowed” might be the best word to describe Fioretti’s career. For all four years, he has shared the court with teammates and fellow College fourth-years Dre Campbell and Josh Friedkin, who both became members of the exclusive 1,000-point club earlier this season. Despite this, Fioretti has nothing but praise for his teammates.

“I’m always happy to see my teammates succeed,” said Fioretti. “We’ve been the core of the team for a few years now, so I hope we can finish off our senior season strong. They both have scored [over] 1,000 points in their careers, which is a great accomplishment, and hopefully I can join them in that category by the end of the year.” With his career total currently sitting at 907, this is a goal that is well within his reach.

With Campbell and Friedkin’s legendary scoring careers taking center stage, it can be easy to relegate Fioretti to the role of facilitator. However, Cavaco wants to make it clear that he is much more than just a passer.

“Christian is one of the best rebounding guards I’ve ever seen,” said Cavaco. “He takes on some of the biggest defensive challenges on a regular basis and he demands excellence from himself and his teammates. He’s the ultimate utility guy for a basketball team.” 

As his senior season winds down, many want to see Fioretti’s career end with something that has evaded him to this point: recognition. Despite his accomplished career, Fioretti hasn’t won any major awards outside of an All-NCAC honorable mention last year.

“Christian has definitely been underrated,” said Tiedemann. “He does all of the little things that don’t show up on a stat sheet.”

Fioretti would love to receive some accolades by the end of the season, but he remains focused on his primary goal.

“I feel that I have been overlooked at some points throughout my career, but it hasn’t bothered me too much,” said Fioretti. “It’s what fuels and motivates me. I was All-NCAC honorable mention last year, so I hope that I can be on the first or second team this season. I’m the leading scorer on the team so far this year, as well as the top assist guy in the conference. So we will see. All of that stuff is cool, but at the end of the day winning is what matters.” 

Regardless of whether he receives any accolades, Fioretti is going out with a bang. As of printing, he is on pace for career bests in points, steals, blocks, free throw percentage, minutes played, and, of course, assists.

“I think my legacy will be that I will do anything to win, whether it’s to score, assist, rebound or defend,” said Fioretti. “I’m a team player, and I’m really excited to see what we can accomplish the rest of the season.”