Athlete of the Week

Ashlee Thatcher

You shot the game-winning three Friday night against St. Norbert College after shooting 0-6 from beyond the arc the rest of the game. What was going through your mind on that last play?I knew I had to make it. I couldn’t miss seven in a row! It’s also the fact that every shot before felt terrible. That last one felt a little better. There was a lot of nothing going through my head though.

How does it feel to have that support and trust from you coach and teammates to take that last game-winner?

It means a lot to me to know that they have trust in me even though I was shooting terribly before. It was actually Doug (Kadison’s) play. He was the point guard and he had enough faith in me to make that shot.

After not making the conference tournament last year, how does it feel to be back on top?

I think we all appreciate it more. My freshman year went by so quickly because we were just winning all the time. Then last year, the season was slow because we were losing. This year, we all appreciate every win more because we’ve been through the whole losing as a team.

You just received the honor of the Midwest Conference Player of the Year. Has that sunk in yet?

Not at all. It’s a great accomplishment, but I haven’t had time to appreciate it. I’m much more focused on this weekend. I think at the end of the season, it will be something great and cool for me to say I did.

What are the things that you need to make sure happen this weekend to advance in the Tournament?

Both of these teams are good. Wheaton College has an All-American so we need to focus on defense and stop their two main players. We also need to have more confidence on the offensive side. We need to make sure that we are getting more shots off that we were last weekend.

If you could give your piece of the Championship net to anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?

Well, the cliché answer would be my dad. He’s the one who got me into playing basketball. My real answer, though, is Steve Kerr. He was an amazing shooter and he’s my favorite player of all time.