Sports

Women's basketball aims for big sendoff for Grigs

In print | February 12, 2009

“There are a couple of games that we would really like to have back, but our focus is now on these last few, none of which will be easy,” said the Garnet women’s basketball team’s lone senior, Melissa Grigsby ‘09. The most recent of those “last few” to which she referred was a game against Muhlenberg who has already clinched a playoff spot and is ranked in the top 25 teams in the country. The Garnet suffered a 78-55 loss on Tuesday to the Mules.

Grigsby eyes the playoff picture as simple: “Win and we’re in.” However, with an 8-7 record in the conference, the Garnet may not have that luxury for the remainder of their season. Currently, Muhlenberg, Johns Hopkins, and McDaniel sit at the top of the standings, with Dickinson, Franklin and Marshall and Gettysburg behind them, all tied with a record of 9-6, Swarthmore sits at 8-7, short of a playoff spot by a couple of games. Three games remain in the regular season for Swarthmore, including contests against Gettysburg, Washington and rival Haverford. Grigsby will be honored at the Washington game, Senior Day for the Garnet.

When asked about the season, Grigsby had nothing but positive things to say. “This year’s team has been phenomenal. We have had our share of rough spots, but I have been really impressed with the way that different people, especially underclassmen, have stepped up to get us through those,” she said. Her nostalgia was quickly replaced by the intensity that has characterized her senior season, as she went on to add, “[In] the next two weeks, we need to take one game at a time and earn ourselves a playoff spot. It comes down to putting all of our hard work together and really believing that we can win.”

Coach Renee DeVarney spoke only in the highest regard of her senior point guard. “Melissa’s hard work and leadership during pre-season conditioning workouts to her consistent intensity everyday in practice is the reason we have good team flow and chemistry. She made a conscious decision to raise her game, have high expectations of herself and has shown it by her work ethic everyday,” she said. DeVarney described Grigsby’s impact throughout her four years on the team as “profound.”
The Garnet have lost two conference games in a row and must win all three of their remaining games for their best shot at the playoffs, but neither the coach nor the players seem phased. “We have a saying: ‘A shot, a stop, one percent.’ It means to strive to get a shot off on every offensive possession, strive to get a stop on every defensive possession and strive to be one percent better everyday. If we really try to focus on that, we will win some games,” said DeVarney.

Co-captain Pam Costello ’10 is hopeful, pointing out that the team’s mentality was “still positive” despite the tough losses at Dickinson and Muhlenberg.

As for Grigsby, the team has truly rallied around their senior leader and point guard. Costello cited Grigsby’s vocal leadership and work ethic as “essential” to the point guard position. Her teammates respect her intensity and hard work with her leadership by example. “You can always count on that,” Ceylan Bodur ’11 remarked. Bodur added that “both the effort she shows and the speeches she makes bring out the best in us. She gets pissed if she thinks we are not giving all we have. That’s why hearing a nice comment, a ‘Good job kid,’ from her is worth more than anything. She makes me want to be the best I can be. And that’s the most important thing I learned from her.”

Grigsby just wants to finish the season strong and wants more than anything to see this team make the playoffs. The final three games against Gettysburg, Washington and Haverford will ultimately determine this team’s fate, and will determine if Grigsby’s career will be extended for another game.
No matter what happens, when the emotions and pressures fade and when the scoreboard reads zeroes both on Swarthmore’s season and on Grigsby’s career, a legacy will remain – one of hard work, intensity and focus. When asked for parting words, Grigsby said only this: “I just want to thank each and every one of my teammates and coaches, past and present, for an awesome ride.”

You’re welcome, Grigs.