Basketball Team in the Right Direction
By Adam Fabrizi
BEREA, OHIO -- For some people, being asked to lead a college basketball team as a junior may be a difficult task. Not so with All-Ohio Athletic Conference and Academic All-OAC point guard Nikki Altenweg.
Altenweg is enjoying her finest season on the collegiate hardwood for the Baldwin-Wallace College women's basketball team in 2004-05. Altenweg and the Yellow Jackets are currently 6-3 overall entering a December 29 game against third-ranked the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh in the first round of the Rockford (Ill.) College Tournament.
With no seniors and only three juniors on the team, the Perry graduate has been forced to take on an even greater leadership role for veteran Head Coach Cheri Harrer. She is the team captain.
"Nikki has really stepped up her game," said Harrer, who is the winningest coach in school history with 284 wins. "She is more aggressive this year on the offensive end of the court, and continues to be an excellent defender for us.
"Nikki has also improved as a leader on this team. Our players look to her for that guidance. Nikki got to play behind some great leaders for two years, so much more is expected of her now."
But none of that has bothered Altenweg.
Not only has Altenweg taken on more of a leadership role, she has also picked up her scoring prowess. Through nine games, the floor general is averaging a career and team-best 10.7 points-per-game. She is also grabbing a career-best 3.9 rebounds per outing and is one of the OAC’s top playmakers with 43 assists and 28 steals.
Opponents once left Altenweg open to shoot. She entered the season canning 39.8 percent of her shots. Now they do not. Altenweg is canning a career-best 45.3 percent of her field goals (34-of-75), and is shooting 78.3 percent of her foul shots (18-of-23). She has always been a good free throw shooter, canning 78.2 percent (43-of-55).
"I haven't felt any more pressure to increase my scoring," said Altenweg, who led B-W to an OAC co-title a year ago with a 23-4 overall record. " I do realize however that I need to be more of an offensive threat this year.
"There are so many talented girls on the team who can score, so if I am able to hit shots consistently that just makes our team that much more dangerous," said Altenweg.
Despite the number of young players on the squad, the group is extremely talented and has provided Harrer and the Yellow Jackets with a new sense of excitement.
"One of our strengths as a team is our depth," said Altenweg. "We have a number of girls who can come off the bench and contribute. We also have a lot of speed, which we like to use to our advantage."
From day one, defense and rebounding are a couple of things Harrer and her staff have been preaching to this year's team.
"We are a deep team this year," Harrer stated. "We can play 12 to 13 people with very little change in effectiveness. So far, we have been solid on the boards and are improving defensively."
Altenweg is able to initiate many of the Jacket offensive attacks with her defense and rebounding abilities. Once she gets her hands on the ball, it is tough for opponents to slow her down. Chances are good she will either find the bottom of the net or find a teammate for an easy basket.
Altenweg also knows how to control the tempo and handle the ball, as indicated by her assist-to-turnover ratio, which is the statistic that can help determine how effective a point guard truly is. For the third straight year, Altenweg leads the OAC in this category with her 43 assists and 14 turnovers, for a 3.1:1 ratio.
"A good point guard is someone who can create shots, not only for themselves but more importantly for their teammates," continued Altenweg. "A point guard basically runs the show on the floor. They have to be familiar with defensive matchups for everyone on the team and must recognize what defense the other team is in. This is the way I try to approach each and every game."
A stellar student in the classroom, the mathematics major has been able to combine her athletic skills with her study habits effectively. She is a Dean's List student who carries a 3.7 grade point average. Altenweg was inducted into the Alpha Lamba Freshman Honor Society and is a member of the Kappa Mu Epsilon National Mathematics Honor Society. She also received Academic All-OAC honors a year ago for her efforts.
"Time management is key when it comes to schoolwork and playing sports," Altenweg continued. "It's not easy and it is something that takes time to develop. Fortunately, I have learned how to improve my study habits and basketball skills at the same time."
Altenweg is active on campus as well. She is a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), where she serves as treasurer. She also serves as an intramural supervisor and has volunteered time for the Campus Clean-Up Project.
For all of her efforts on the basketball court, in the classroom and in the community, Altenweg was selected as the January STARR of the Month. Students Taking Active Responsible Roles recognizes student-athletes who are showing a great balance between athletic, academic, personal, service, leadership and other involvement. The CHAMPS/Life Skills office strives to focus on positive role-modeling among the B-W student-athletes. Recipients must carry a 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA, be in at least their second year of competition at B-W and make positive contributions to the Campus and surrounding communities.
"Nikki is a very serious student who demonstrates a great capacity to lead not only her teammates, but other students as well," said Michelle Nicopolis-Gallagher, who is the Director of the CHAMPS/ Lifeskills program at Baldwin-Wallace. "She sets a great example of how to balance academics and athletics and still give back to the community."
Something else that has given the members of last year's team a little extra incentive is watching OAC-rival Wilmington College go on to claim the NCAA Division III National title last year. B-W defeated the Quakers, 73-57, in Wilmington during the early portion of the schedule and then went on to tie Capital for the OAC regular season title. But it was third place Wilmington winning the national title that showed Altenweg that B-W can win one too.
"That just goes to show how tough the OAC is," continued Altenweg. "We have to take it one game at a time, because you really can't look over any team in this conference. Every game in the OAC is a must-win."
For the Yellow Jackets to reach their ultimate goal of an OAC Championship and a berth in the NCAA Division III National Tournament, Altenweg will be relied on heavily to continue leading the way for Coach Harrer's young team. If her past and recent success is any indication of things to come, look for the Yellow Jackets to make some noise this season.
"We just need to continue doing the things we've been doing," Altenweg stated. "As long as we continue to work to get better each and every day, we will be able to accomplish our goals."
Coach Harrer and the rest of the Yellow Jacket staff know that Altenweg will play an essential role in the team's success.
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