Posted 12/24/07
UW-Platteville's Vanessa Nemitz is a sophomore guard from Bloomington and River Ridge High School.
How satisfying is it to be back on the court after last season's knee injury that limited you to the end of the season?
“It’s very exciting to be back because it was right at the end of the season right before playoffs and we did really well in playoffs, so it was hard sitting out and watching. I was scared about the just coming back, and being mentally out there and not just thinking about my knee all the time. It’s very exciting to be back and playing well.”
Was there any point in your rehab when you questioned whether or not it was worth it?
“I definitely didn’t have a doubt of not coming back. I wanted to come back I rehabilitated myself so that I could play basketball. There was never a point that I struggled too much. My knee went really well, and it hasn’t held me back really. It is definitely sorer than the normal amount, then what it should be, but it’s good to be back.”
How did it feel making 4 out of 9 three-point attempts to make your career high of 20 points against Dubuque on December 13?
“It was actually really exciting, especially talking to my family afterwards. Everyone likes to remind me that, ‘you had 4 three-pointers Vanessa.’ It was pretty exciting to have a career high last night of 20 points.”
The Pioneers are off to a great start this season (6-4). Where do you see the Pioneers at the end of the season?
“We are playing really well together. We have good chemistry on the floor and off the floor, so I see us going really far in our conference. We were ranked pretty low, but I think everyone is realizing that the ranking wasn’t where it needed to be. So we are going to prove everyone wrong and come out and have a good season. We really will.”
Since the Tuesday night game against Augustana was postponed, you were given more time to prepare for University of Dubuque (who was 7-3) What did you practice the most?
“With U.D. we definitely had to practice boxing out because our biggest struggle is not getting box outs and then giving them second chance shots. We really needed to work on that and just adjusting to what they were doing, so defensively is what we needed to work on. Once you get the defense down your offense will follow. We just worked a lot on defense. We stuck to our philosophy of what we do every day.” (The work paid off as the Pioneers won 65-49.)
Why did you come to UWP?
“I live around this area, so it is close to home, and I wanted to play basketball. My sister went here, but mostly to stay close to home.”
What are you goals here?
“My major is physical education, so I want to be a P.E. teacher, and I wanted to get a good education.”
Do you know which level you want to teach?
“At this point I don’t know, but I would say elementary just to have fun with the kids.” <
Interview by Sports Information Student Assistant Renee Gratz