Western Courier

Issue date: 3/5/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Adam Sacasa

In basketball, all the skills and talent of an individual mean nothing without teamwork and the willingness to cooperate with others. Senior Stephanie Lovingood's journey to the starting lineup for the Westerwinds basketball team has been one filled with hard lessons learned about putting aside attitudes and becoming a leader.

The strong-willed Lovingood played on her high school's varsity basketball team where she developed not only dominant basketball skills but also a disrespectful attitude toward her coach. The conflict escalated until she eventually had an altercation where she was taken off of the team just before it traveled to compete in the state tournament. The hard-nosed attitude that had made her successful on the court put her college basketball future in question and cut her senior season short.

Western Illinois women's basketball coach Leslie Crane had a decision to make. Lovingood had already committed to be a part of the Westerwinds earlier that year. The first Crane heard of the incident came from Lovingood herself, who called her future coach to explain what happened. After hearing her recruit's explanation, Crane put her trust in Lovingood.

"I think there is a different relationship between a high school coach and a Division I coach," Crane said. "I wasn't going to punish her for something that didn't involve me. Everyone is going to be different from high school to DI."

Lovingood arrived at Western with much to learn about how to cooperate with authority.

"When I first came to Western, me and Coach didn't really see eye to eye," Lovingood said. "I think my attitude carried over a little bit."

Lovingood entered the 2004-2005 season as the only freshman and had to work hard to keep up with the pace of her new rigorous schedule. Her dedication to her schoolwork and her passion for basketball would sometimes fill her days too tightly for three square meals. Not seeing her room from the time she left for class until 8 or 9 p.m. became a regular occurrence, but she still admits her attitude was not reformed.

It was not until further into the school year she started to discover her first role on the team and settled into the program. Lovingood's first year was a time for watching and learning on the court, as she played at the forward position behind All-American player Zane Teilane. The experience Lovingood gained from Teilane helped her to not only improve as a forward but also as a leader.

Continued...

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