Feb. 14, 2007

By Stephen Zerdelian

Special to CSTV.com

Work ethic. Consistency. Loyalty.

These are the words Glenville State (West Virginia) head coach Steve Harold uses repeatedly to describe senior Rachel Redick. For fans of the GSC Pioneers, it's a bittersweet topic, as the All-American guard will be on her way once the season is over. Not that the program will fade away, mind you, but players like Redick come along very infrequently at the Division II level and its best to enjoy them while they're still in action.

"I've been fortunate enough to have a lot of good players over the years but Rachel is the best of the bunch,' said Harold, in his 12th season at the controls for Glenville State. "She's been so consistent, both game-to-game and over the course of four years, and she's incredibly skilled on both ends of the floor. To be on the verge of becoming the all-time scorer in our league is quite an accomplishment."

Redick is indeed closing fast in her quest to become the all-time top scorer in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. At the moment the 5-foot-8 native of Franklin, Penn. has 2179 points, within sight of Lisa Lee (Charleston, `06), who currently sits atop the list at 2,260 points. If scoring was all that Redick could do it would be plenty, but she's as competent an all-around player as you'll find in the land. She's in the top 10 in six WVIAC categories, including scoring (20.6 points a game), assists (4.3 helpers an evening), free throw shooting (85 percent) and assist-turnover ratio (1.66), and has led the Pioneers in scoring 16 times this season. It's been a terrific campaign for GSC (23-2), ranked fifth in the nation (WBCA/USA Today national poll) and first in the East region, but both Redick and Harold are quick to discuss the whole team, not just her individual accomplishments.

"I just love the rest of the senior class here. We've been through a lot and that helps us feel confident the rest of the year and heading into the post-season," mentions Redick, a two-time All-WVIAC performer, who notched a career-high 34 points in a win at Ohio Valley last month.

"This season has been a pleasant surprise, since we lost our best post player from last year (6-foot-6 Denae Dobbins, who graduated) and we had some injuries this year but the veteran leaders have stabilized things and the new faces have added energy and athleticism," says Harold, whose team was chosen to win the WVIAC in the loop's pre-season poll.

Joining Redick in the senior class is 6-foot-2 Casey Taylor, who Redick says is, "Playing the best basketball of her life. She's done a fantastic job at center and we know we can really rely on her." Taylor, one of two regulars who stand over 5-foot-11, is second on the squad in scoring (16.6 ppg), grabs over six rebounds a game and shoots 54 percent from the floor while constantly battling multiple post players every game.

"Lauren (Strong) is a great point guard for us. She's grown so much over the years and plays very consistently at both ends. We can all read her and play with cohesion," offers Redick of the 5-foot-5 Strong. "Christy Alltop is also having a terrific year, playing well on the wing," she adds. Between them, Strong and Alltop average 13 points a game and lend that much more veteran presence to a team able to adapt and adjust their point of attack and emphasis every time out.

"This may be the most fun, most versatile team I've ever had here," says Harold, whose club has reached the WVIAC championship game in each of the last seven years but has not actually lifted the hardware since 2003. "In the past we've played pretty much man-to-man defense but now since we're a little smaller and more active than we had originally thought, we can zone, press and do things differently. It's really worked in our favor that we are so versatile."

"Compared to other teams we've had here, this one has the ability to accomplish the most. It's more athletic," says Harold, noting the contributions of junior Karina Kendrick and freshman Melanie Oliver (almost 11 ppg from the latter). "The chemistry the players have is exceptional; they play as a complete team every game. Of all the teams I've had this is the closest and the one with the most potential."

It's also one that thrives on routine, a sign of the squad's maturity and togetherness. "This is the most superstitious team ever," says Redick with a chuckle. "We wear the exact same thing every game, from socks to bras, have the same pre-game rituals and don't like to change anything. I'll bet we could go to practice right now without a prepared plan from the coaches and do just what they'd want since we know what it is."

Though neither coach nor player will come right out and say it, Redick is the fulcrum of the team, doing whatever is required, when it's required. She scores in a variety of ways, including making three-pointers (second in the league in that area, tossing in over three bombs a game) and getting to the line (she's hit more free throws than any other Pioneer has attempted), but to simply rely on numbers does not do Redick justice.

"What separates her from the rest is her work ethic. Lots of kids claim to work hard but Rachel was working so hard in the gym every day we were fearful she'd burn herself out," says Harold. "We actually have to force her to take a day off. She's so highly skilled on offense and defense and combined with her desire to play and get better, it's no surprise Rachel is so effective."

Redick landed in Glenville, W. Va. after a short stint at Kent State, where a knee injury forced her out of the lineup at the start of her freshman year. While sitting out and rehabbing, she realized Kent wasn't the right place for her and started to shop around.

"When I was in high school there was a lot of pressure to go to a Division I school so I took one of the first offers I had. After I decided to move on (from Kent State) and began to check out other schools, I just fell in love with Glenville State. The people were great, it's a supportive community and I love the faculty, coaches and other players," said Redick.

The sentiment is echoed with interest from Harold, who caught wind of Redick while in high school and was alerted to her availability by a former player. "I'd seen Rachel in camp reports and knew she was a Division I player all the way. She still is. But a former (GSC) player sent me an email about her wanting to find a new place to go to school and we invited her for a visit," Harold says. "This might sound corny but from the minute she walked through the door for us to meet, it was love at first sight. Rachel is a personable, confident kid with great priorities. Once we ended our initial meeting - which lasted almost two hours - we had her locked in here."

The Pioneers haven't looked back. Redick won the conference's Freshman of the Year award in her first season, helping the program's run of consecutive twenty win seasons continue (it currently stands at seven and shows no signs of abating). Harold directed the team to the NCAA Division II Final Four in 2002 and has been knocking on that same door each March since. They've been to the NCAA tournament every year of Redick's tenure, having lost in the East regional final twice in that span (last year to WVIAC rival Charleston and in 2004 to eventual national champion California, PA). Those results fuel their desire to succeed this time around.

"We do some looking ahead, it's hard not to as seniors. But we know we can't afford to take any team or game lightly, because a loss or two might really hurt us," offers Redick, whose team is almost unbeatable at home. GSC once won 64 straight home games over the course of six seasons and since that string was snapped a few years ago they've won nearly thirty more in a row. Staying the top seed in the regional rankings is the key to hosting the NCAA regional tournament at GSC-friendly Jesse R. Lilley Gymnasium, meaning every game has a certain gravity attached.

"The biggest challenge is reminding this team that every game is important. It's better to be targeted than not, it means you're doing what you want," says Harold, who prepares his team with a rough non-league slate every year in addition to their annually sticky WVIAC schedule. "We like to create a schedule that makes us battle-tested. It's good to put your team against difficult opponents, it prepares them for the rest of the season," adds the coach, who took the team to Hawaii for a pair of games just before Christmas. A trip to the islands in December sounds great to most folks, but GSC lost twice while there, their only defeats of the campaign. The North Central region's fifth-ranked team, Minnesota State-Moorhead beat the Pioneers, 72-71, followed by a 69-57 loss to Washburn (Kansas), ranked third in the nation this week. Redick was named to the all-tournament team despite the 0-2 trip (she had 22 points against Washburn) but that was not the only thing the team returned to the mainland with.

"It kind of pulled us together and got us thinking about how important each game was," opines Redick. "I like the challenge of playing the best teams possible. The losses were like turning points to us as a team." Harold has a similar, if more pragmatic take. "We know we can learn lessons in games like that, even though we feel like we can learn lessons in victory just as well. But it does help in the long run."

Growing up in Franklin, a town bordered by the Allegheny River in northwestern Pennsylvania, Redick was busy playing any sport under the sun. "I was always in the gym, running around doing gymnastics, swimming, playing softball and running track. One day a coach noticed that I was really athletic and asked my parents (Dean and Sharon) if I wanted to play biddie basketball," remembers Redick. "I tried out for it and loved it right away."

"I began to think maybe I could keep on playing in college when I was a junior or senior in high school (Franklin High School). I was always the most competitive person in my family and just wanted to win at everything," says Redick, who has one sibling, sister Deanne. The presence of her family at games is a comfort and Redick likes it that way. "My family is so supportive; they love basketball, attend most of my games and have come to love the team. My dad played ball and is an extreme supporter and my mom is always there for me with a hug and smile no matter what the final score was or how well I'd played."

Redick has played well enough during her stint in Glenville to be among the best the WVIAC has ever produced, as evidenced by the fact she was named to the 25^th year All-WVIAC team last month. She is the only active player to be so honored. "I was really flattered by it, since there are so many great players in the league's history. I really didn't know how to react to it," she said. Harold was also picked for the 25^th anniversary team along with former GSC greats Nikki Cale ('93), Tracy Wyatt ('04) and Dobbins ('06). "It's truly an honor to be selected; it's nice that people feel so good about what you've done," said Harold. "Every award I get is a reflection of the team, a tremendous honor for the players and program."

Continuing her basketball career is a possibility for Redick, with the lure of potentially playing in Europe being deferred until after the season. She's an elementary education major with an eye on obtaining her Masters degree. "I think I'll just wait until the season finishes before considering playing on somewhere. I'd like to eventually get into teaching, maybe become a principle at an elementary school," she says. "But it would be hard to get out of the classroom once I'm in there."

Sort of like how difficult it is to get her out of the gym. Given her background, it's not a stretch to think that some day Rachel Redick will help mold a young boy or girl into somebody like herself - dedicated, focused and thoughtful. The world could do with those types of people, whether they pick up a basketball or not.