As the lone senior on the women's basketball team, Shelbie Justice will be asked to step outside her comfort zone and become a more assertive leader.
"[Justice] says the right stuff. She's just not an extroverted kid," head coach Brady Sallee said. "She's not one to really step up and scream and yell and get in somebody's face ... There's a time and a place where she's got to put her foot down as the senior, as the leader, as somebody they all respect, and say, 'Listen, this isn't good enough.'"
Despite her quiet demeanor, Sallee thinks Justice is willing to become the leader Ball State needs, but knows she will need help showing her teammates the "Cardinal way."
"For the most part, she is exactly what we want our kids to be," Sallee said. "She's hardworking and she's focused ... now doing it as a leader I think is the next step she has to take as a senior."
Last season, Justice started all 33 games for Ball State, averaging 7.9 points per game, fourth on the team. She finished third on the team with 67 total assists.
Justice acknowledged the pressure of being the only senior on a team where eight of the 11 players are underclassmen but said having All-Mid-American Conference West Division preseason team member Natalie Fontaine with her helps.
"Even though I don't have somebody my age, [Fontaine] is there with me," Justice said. "She has a ton of experience. She knows what Brady expects, and I know what Brady expects. Having her there with me, it helps a lot."
While Justice may feel tentative at first of her additional responsibilities, her teammates are already seeking her advice.
"I definitely look to [Justice] a lot for guidance, even though she's not in my position," sophomore center Renee Bennett said. "She's out here every day doing what she needs to do. It's definitely an inspiration for me ... I want to be just like [Justice]."
An extrovert or not, as the only senior on this year's squad, Justice will be asked to become a more vocal leader.
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