Spring Break
Out of her shadow
Senior takes on task of replacing Eastern legend
Collin Whitchurch/Sports Editor
Issue date: 11/5/09 Section: Winter Sports Guide
|
She shouldn't have much of a problem with the physicality teams will bring against her.
No, the biggest challenge the 6-foot-1 senior forward will face this season is something she has virtually no control over.
Kloak has the daunting task of replacing arguably the greatest player in the history of Eastern women's basketball, the since-graduated Rachel Galligan. Galligan completed last year as one of the most decorated players in Eastern history, finished with a program-record 1,891 points in her four-year career.
And Kloak admits the idea is a little nerve-racking.
"I do feel a little bit of pressure from it," said Kloak, the centerpiece in head coach Brady Sallee's forward-heavy offense. "That's going to be the thing that I need to forget about the most. I need to try to take the pressure off of myself because I play better when I'm not under pressure."
Kloak's role on the team hasn't changed drastically from last year to this year. When she entered the game for last year's record-setting 24-9 squad, the focal point of the offense was getting the ball to her in the post and letting her do her thing.
But last year Kloak did that in a limited role. Playing behind Galligan, she averaged just 16.4 minutes per game and started only twice when fellow forward Lindsey Kluempers was out with injury.
This year, Kloak will be depended on much more. Sallee's offense has always revolved around getting the ball to the post and this year will be no different, so it's going to be up to Kloak to pick up where Galligan left off as best she can.
"In our system, that position (the forward) is really the go-to position," the sixth-year head coach said.
Sallee said like all his seniors, Kloak has to focus on not worrying about replacing last year's seniors and instead concentrate on playing her game.
"For me, the focus is much more on making sure the system is doing what it's designed to do and making sure that we have the players that can answer the bell," he said. "I think Maggie definitely can. I think she's proven herself at times and now the challenge will be for her to do it for 33 straight games."
Kloak, who averaged 8.4 points per game and 4.1 rebounds per game as a junior, said she's been trying to take on more of a leadership role in her senior season. She said the idea early on is just to make sure everyone on the team clicks.
"We have a ton of new freshmen coming in, so the most important thing is to lead them right now and show them what kind of program we have and how we play," she said. "It's important to get everyone on the same page, including the seniors and I. We're all just trying to work together and have this common goal in mind."
Collin Whitchurch can be reached at 581-7944 or cfwhitchurch@eiu.edu.
The Daily Eastern News encourages on-topic, civil discussion on its articles posted online. It is our policy not to screen comments before they are posted or edit them after they are posted. However, we reserve the right to remove comments that are off-topic, malicious, libelous or include excessive foul language. The DEN also reserves the right to turn off all comments on any story it deems necessary.
Comments violating copyright law will also be removed.
Users who repeatedly violate this policy will be banned from commenting.
If you have any questions on our comment policy or wish to report a comment that you feel violates these standards, please e-mail a link to the article to our Online Editor at DENNews.com@gmail.com.
Be the first to comment on this story