For a second consecutive season, the Ohio women's basketball team has gotten notable player performance from one of its youngest players on the court.
Coming off of Simone Redd's stellar 2004-05 freshman campaign in which she led the team in points per game and was named Mid-American Conference Sixth Man of the Year, this season's Bobcats' starting lineup boasts yet another impressive freshman in guard, Rachel Frederick.
Coach Lynn Bria said that Frederick's performance so far has been nothing typical of a first-year player.
She doesn't play like a freshman
Bria said. Her maturity is at such a high level and she has the mentality of a veteran and she plays like one.
Besides Redd, Frederick is the only Bobcat to start the team's first 14 contests. This is no surprise, considering that whenever she's catching her breath on the bench, her coach feels a little uneasy. You know you have a good player when as a coach you don't like having them out of the game
coach Lynn Bria said. I don't feel very comfortable when she's not in the game and I feel better when she's in because I know she'll make plays and make things happen for us.
Frederick has wasted little time making a mark as one of the premier freshman in the MAC. She is second on the team in scoring, behind Redd, with 13.9 points per game and leads the team in rebounds and steals per game with 7.7 and 2.64, respectively. These averages are tops among all MAC freshmen.
She's one of the best
if not the best
freshman in the conference
Redd said. She's doing really well
holding her own
and she's definitely proven herself.
Frederick's performance thus far has not only put her in the company of the league's best freshmen, but also among the elite players in the MAC. She is fifth overall in rebounds per game in the MAC and eleventh in points per game.
She's just a player that does everything well
Bria said. She contributes in so many ways. If she's not shooting well, she's rebounding and playing defense. Her desire to do well is just unbelievable.
