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Adapting On and Off the Court
Story Last Updated: Summer 2024
Student-athletes are more than just a basketball player or a baseball player or whatever sport they play. They are also a student and a professional because they are developing and enhancing important skills, such as adapting to different circumstances that will be important to whatever career field they seek.
Over my first two years at Gwynedd Mercy University, I have changed roles in both my basketball and academic life. Starting out as a freshman I was hoping to major in nursing. After a good first semester, it was recommended by my advisor that I begin to search for a backup major in case I was unable to get into the nursing program. So I researched and learned more about different majors and entered my sophomore year as a Communication major and could not be happier with the decision.
During my freshman year, I had to adapt to changes on the basketball court as well. I did not start the first four games of the season. In my first start, I scored 19 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 5 assists. From that moment on I started every game. At the end of the year I finished towards the team leaders in minutes played, three-point made field goals, assists, and scoring which earned me the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Rookie of the Year.
I experienced more changes during my sophomore season. The team welcomed some new players and I altered my game to accommodate the new talent — becoming a playmaking, pass-first player. But that didn’t last long as I was counted on to score after one of the team’s top players got injured. I was awarded the Sam Cozen Small Colleges Association Player of The Week, and at the end of the year would be honored by CSAC once again, this time earning a spot on First Team All-Conference.