With her third NEC Rookie of the Week award under her belt, freshman Krystal Pressley has established herself as a presence unlike any Quinnipiac University has ever seen. Pressley, who hails from New Haven, Conn., averaged 17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists for the week of Feb. 9.
“Being the NEC rookie of the weekTmakes me feel as if I’ve achieved something, that my hard work has not gone unnoticed, and that I am able to bring a positive dimension to my team.”
Pressley said. On the season, Pressley is averaging 17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4 assists a game, certainly a positive influence on any team.
That positive dimension was never more apparent than in a game against Long Island, where the freshman sensation posted career-highs with 28 points and 8 rebounds in the convincing win over the Blackbirds.
“In the LIU game, I just went out and played. We all did. We not only played on one end of the court but also, our defense was the best all year against LIU. I started the game knocking down shots so my confidence was through the roof. I wasn’t thinking about it, it just came to me.”
The Lady Bobcats have excelled on their home court this season, going 8-3, while the games away from Hamden have been a far different story.
“The other team always seems to make a run, and when they do we usually don’t have an answer,” Pressley said. “We haveThad aThard time matching their level of intensity.”
Pressley and the rest of the Bobcats had better start finding a way to match that intensity if they are going to meet the team’s goal of earning a bid to the NCAA tournament.
“Our team goal for this season was to play to our potential. We feel we have the talent to go as far as getting a bid in the NCAA [tournament]. That goal is still possible. We’re definitely one of the teams to be reckoned with in the NEC tournament.”
A win in the NEC tournament would give the Bobcats an automatic at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, where anything can happen.
Now is the time that things have to start clicking for the Bobcats, if they plan on making the tournament, “I’ve been able to take the constructive criticisms and use them to better myself as a player. Since I’ve been here, I had to get acclimated into the system. I had to learn what the coaches wanted and expected everyday. I learned some fundamentals that were lacking in high school; things that just aren’t taught nowadays, like using a screen, getting low on defense, boxing out, etc.”
Just because the Bobcats care having a successful season this year, don’t look for any drop-off next year,
“Our Coaches do a great job of recruiting such players, so in the years to come, look for more great talent to come out of Quinnipiac University.”
If they resemble Krystal Pressley at all, Quinnipiac will be good for years to come.
