Sunday, October 21, 2001
Cottrell sets high standard for NKU
By Michael Perry
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Michelle Cottrell yearns for the days when she was an underdog, when there were no expectations and there was far less pressure.
The Northern Kentucky University basketball star brings this resume into her senior season: a Division II national championship (as a sophomore), the national player of the year award (as a junior) and the preseason national player of the year honor (as a senior).
“I think I would rather not be picked for that,” she said. “Now I feel like I have to live up to it.”
“... I think I worked the hardest this offseason, because I figured it's my last year. I lifted a lot harder than normal. I ran more.”
And the Norse perhaps need her more than ever.
The 5-foot-11 Cottrell is the only returning starter from a team that went 25-5 last season. She averaged 17.4 points and 8.1 rebounds as a junior and is a two-time first-team All-American.
“One of the great things for me as a coach is, when your best player practices harder than anybody, that sets a standard by which everybody else steps up,” coach Nancy Winstel said.
Maybe Cottrell's biggest challenge is to become a more vocal leader. She always had deferred to the seniors. Now it's her turn.
And it's somewhat against her nature.
“I'm trying my hardest,” she said. “I'm kind of like the jokester of the team. I'm always looking to make a joke. This year, I'm trying to get everyone focused.”
She will have help in the leadership department. There are two other seniors (Suzie Smith and Dana Schubeler) and three juniors (Amy Mobley, Bridget Flanagan and Kristin Polosky). All except Schubeler played in the 2000 national championship game.
Naturally, the upperclassmen have the upper hand, but Winstel won't commit to a starting lineup.
“You earn your playing time by what you do in practice,” she said.
Cottrell says the players' goals are not much different from last season's; they include winning the Great Lakes Valley Conference title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.
“I don't really look at each season and say, "OK, this team can win this many games,'” Winstel said. “Our basic goal stays the same every year, to just try to be the best team we can be and hope that takes us far.”
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