Thursday, March 16, 2000Unsung Hotz has watched Xavier grow
Senior was part of Balcomb's first class
BY MICHAEL PERRY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Coach Melanie Balcomb calls Kim Hotz “the glue” of the Xavier women's basketball team. The 6-foot senior is the last player remaining from Balcomb's first XU recruiting class.
![[xu women]](/xavier/img/photos/2000/03/030700hotz_120x132.jpg)
Kim Hotz grabs loose ball in A-10 championship game.
| ZOOM |Hotz is the Musketeers' No.11 all-time scorer. She has played every position but point guard. She started her entire junior season but mostly has come off the bench the other three years.
“She's willing to be that extra piece in the puzzle that is always holding everybody together in whatever spot we need her,” Balcomb said. “She's very steady, (someone) behind the scenes that gets no credit that takes the team somewhere.”
That somewhere is the NCAA Tournament — for the second straight year.
When the Musketeers (26-4) play Stephen F. Austin (27-3) at 7 p.m. Friday in Baton Rouge, La., Hotz will be in a reserve role.
Which is fine with her. She appreciates the progress of the program. The team finished 10-17 her freshman year.
“I'm not a vocal leader,” Hotz said. “I always just do what needs to be done. That's the way I am. I want to set an example.”
She has done so with her unselfishness. She has done so by never complaining no matter what role she has been asked to play.
Hotz is leading the Musketeers in field goal percentage (.655) for the third third straight season. She is averaging 9.2 points and 4.7 rebounds, comparable to her career averages of 9.8 and 5.2.
Hotz has blended in with the top-rated recruits brought in since she arrived. She has career highs of 24 points and 12 rebounds.
“She's been able to have the confidence to stay with those people, and now she's leading those people,” Balcomb said. "She's developed very well. She's worked hard every summer. She's got very good post moves. She runs the floor so well. She's such a smart player (that) lots of times she's helping other kids.”
Balcomb became Xavier's coach in September 1995. It was too late to do much recruiting that fall. XU signed K.T. Palmer, who left after one year.
The following spring, XU signed Hotz and Tina Greer, who also left after one season.
Stetson was the only other Division I school recruiting Hotz, a native of Sheboygan, Wis.. Hotz was recommended to Balcomb by a Division III coach looking at her.
She had not played in the summer circuit, wasn't a gym rat, passed up too many shots and didn't pad her scoring average in high school. That's what the folks back home told her. But she was always an unselfish player. She didn't know any other way.
Balcomb saw a girl who could “jump out the gym” but was told Hotz wasn't committed to basketball. Instead of getting turned off by that, Balcomb figured she found a player who wasn't burned out from year-round play and that she could motivate Hotz throughout her career with the words of doubters.
While Hotz was just happy to sign with a Division I school, in her first year she started 15 of 21 games and averaged 10 points.
“The first few days of preseason conditioning were overwhelming,” she said. “I got to play right away. It was a surprise.
“After my freshman year — that was a kind of disturbing year — a lot of people left, and I think that was a new beginning (for the team). It was like my sophomore year was almost another freshman year, kind of starting over with new people. That's when I thought this pro gram could really go somewhere.”
It has been a steady progression since. The Musketeers went 17-12 and 24-9 during her sophomore and junior seasons.
When asked to come off the bench, Hotz has always said, “No problem.”
“If I get to play, I'll do whatever,” she said. “It'd be great to start; I'm not going to say it's not. But it's more so how much you play. As long as we're winning and having fun, that's what matters.”
All successful programs have players with this kind of attitude. It's why her teammates respect her, and why her coaches value her.
“The success that we've had the last two years, it's been more than I could ask for,” Hotz said. “Hopefully it's not over. I want this to go as long as it can.”
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![[xu women]](/xavier/img/photos/2000/03/030700hotz.jpg)