In the first game of the season for the Ball State women's basketball team, senior Jessica Reiter made a statement by pulling down a career high 18 rebounds. The statement supported her preseason claim that she wanted to lead the Mid-American Conference in rebounding and with her performance, she set a pace that would allow her to do just that.
Today she has that goal in hand with 240 rebounds on the season for an average of 10.4 per game, which leads the MAC.
"I knew she was going to get it," head coach Tracy Roller said. "I mean when she said she wanted that for her goal, I knew she would do it because that's the kind of kid she is."
Roller calls Reiter one of the hardest workers on the team, and it shows every time she steps on the court, not only in rebounding but in scoring. She is one of three 1,000-point scorers on the team, and if she can reach 1,000 rebounds, which she thinks she can, she will become only the second player in Ball State women's basketball history to have over 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
The hard work she puts in has enabled her to start in more games than any other player in Ball State history. With 111 starts, she has come off the bench in only three games, all during her freshman year.
With three 1,000-point scorers on the team, it might not seem fair that the one who is closest to having 1,000 of something else often gets the least amount of attention, but Reiter doesn't seem to mind.
"I think I like being the underrated player," Reiter said. "I don't listen to what anybody says, and nobody is going to stop me from working hard, and I'm going to go out there and do it whether I get the attention or not."
One reason she may not receive that much attention is because she had to follow post player Tamara Bowie, who ranks as the No. 1 career scorer in Ball State history.
"Bowie was a great player; she was prolific scorer, a great rebounder, and she was very athletic," Reiter said. "Just being able to play with her was an awesome experience; something that I wish I still had here this year."
Reiter is now in the same position Bowie was as the senior who will be leaving after this season and someone will have to fill her spot, but Reiter is doing everything she can to help.
"I just try to help (the under classman) and tell them and show them things to do so they don't have to learn the hard way like I did and get beat a lot before they learn how to stop it," Reiter said.
With only four games left on the Cardinals schedule before the MAC Tournament starts, Reiter needs only 66 more rebounds to get to 1,000, and 29 more after that would give her the top rebounding spot in school history.
"I set my goals, and I want to accomplish them, if I don't accomplish them then I get mad at myself," Reiter said. "I think I'm a harder critic on myself then anybody; my coaches, my teammates, my peers, I think that's what drives me."
It's that drive that Roller believes will be the toughest thing to replace next season. With the group of five seniors the Cardinals have this year, Roller believes Reiter will be the hardest to replace next season.
"Johna (Goff) is athletic and she can score and she picks up the ball, which Kelsey (Corbin) and Tina (Bolte) have already started to do, Julie (Just) can shoot the three, and we have people that can do that, but what Jessi gives you, you can't teach, she has great hands, great feet, just great work ethic and is always around the ball," Roller said. "That's why I think it will be tough to replace what she's done for us."
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
