Women's Basketball Spotlight: The consummate teammate
Little-known Lipperd shines out of spotlight
Collin Whitchurch/Assistant Sports Editor
Issue date: 2/16/09 Section: Sports
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Julie Lipperd works just as hard as any member of the Eastern women's basketball team.
But one never sees her name in the headlines.
One can never hear her name on the radio.
One will rarely see her on the court.
So while senior forward Rachel Galligan plows her way through the Eastern record books, none of it would be possible without the work of the 6-foot-2 senior forward, who will play her last regular season home game at Eastern Saturday in Lantz Arena.
"The first couple of years (Galligan) had to show up in practice every day or (Lipperd) made her look foolish," Eastern head coach Brady Sallee said. "There are plenty of days where (Lipperd) would just beat the tar of (Galligan)."
Lipperd has been battling Galligan in practice for four years, and while Galligan is well known for leading the Panthers back to prominence, she knows that none of her success would have been possible without the work of players like Lipperd.
"(Lipperd) is one of the hardest workers I've ever met in my life. She's one of those people you do not want to go against in practice," Galligan said. "She prepares for each game like it's huge, and I think that goes to show the type of person she is. She's just stuck with it and makes everybody better and tries to push everybody. We're definitely not where we are today without her. She has been a huge part of it."
Lipperd is a member of the five-player class that was Sallee's first recruiting class at Eastern, and the start of a turn-around that saw the team's record climb from 10-19 in their first season to its current 19-7 mark with four regular season games remaining.
She is the only member of the senior class that is not a regular member of the starting lineup, and while Lipperd acknowledges that not being out on the court on a regular basis is tough due to her competitive nature, she is proud to be part of such a turnaround.
"It means a lot to be a part of a program that has done a complete 360," she said. "That was the reason I came here to begin with. I wanted to be part of changing a program and making it successful. The journey has not been easy, but hopefully we have started a tradition of winning in EIU's women's basketball."
Sallee said when he brought Lipperd into the program, he saw her as being the type of player who would work hard regardless of what he asked of her. He said what he envisioned out of her is exactly what he's gotten during her four years here.
"Her first couple of years, she came in and played her tail off for us and worked hard and saw quite a bit of playing time and over the last couple of years she's really had to deal with the fact that she hasn't gotten the playing time that she wanted," Sallee said. "But not one time did I ever question her commitment to our program and she's as invested into what we're doing as anybody. I think because of that she's got a lot of credibility on this team."
Lipperd admits she is in a unique situation, being a four-year player who rarely sees the floor. She said it's been tough to deal with, but she considers herself stronger because of it.
"I pride myself in my mental and physical toughness," Lipperd said. "To do what I do everyday and players like (junior forward Marie Baker) and (sophomore guard Jerika Carpenter) do everyday is very mentally draining. No one hears that story of the player who doesn't play, sometimes you can feel very invisible at times, but you have to be able to lift yourself up and put the success of the team before the success of yourself."
Lipperd plans to graduate in the spring with a degree in Biological Sciences with a Teacher's Certification. After she graduates she wants to get a job as a high school biology teacher.
Lipperd said she doesn't regret anything she's experienced during her time at Eastern because she believes in living with no regrets, and she believes the lessons she's learned here are invaluable.
"I have had a good experience here at EIU on and off the court. I have made some life friends and my teammates are more like sisters than friends anymore," she said. "Goals and dreams come in different packages than what you may have expected at the beginning and working hard and giving your all is self-satisfying. No one can take your hard work, determination, and love of the game away from you."
Collin Whitchurch can be reached at 581-7944 or cfwhitchurch@eiu.edu.
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