Victoria Dunlap, a junior forward on the UK women’s basketball team, led the Cats in four statistical categories last season. But she failed to find her voice as a leader.
“I’d say in the past I wasn’t any kind of leader, I just played the flow of being a freshman, being a sophomore, letting the older people and upperclassmen do that,†Dunlap said. “Now that I’m an upperclassman, it’s just going to have to be (leading by) example, vocally and me being an all-around kind of leader.â€
As the Cats’ leading returning scorer and rebounder, Dunlap realizes she can’t be content to shirk the pressure-packed moments in games, especially having lost teammate and frontcourt sidekick Eleia Roddy to graduation last spring.
This year, Dunlap, who also announced her presence as a defensive dynamo by leading the Cats in blocks and steals last season, will look to regularly deliver the clutch performances her coaches and teammates expect from her.
Dunlap has already made it clear she is making strides in developing her leadership skills to complement her physical talents on the court.
“(Dunlap’s) always been able to lead by example from day one she stepped on campus,†said UK head coach Matthew Mitchell. “She has great personality, but she hasn’t always been able to channel that into vocal leadership. I give her a lot of credit for working at it. Just the fact that she recognizes she has to do that has me optimistic she’ll be able to get that goal accomplished.â€
UK assistant coach Shalon Pillow, who works closely with the post players, has been particularly impressed with Dunlap’s ability to take the incoming freshmen post players, Brittany Henderson and Anna Cole, and guide them along before the start of their rookie campaigns.
“In most places, the hardest transition from high school to college is the tempo,†Pillow said. “Vic did a really good job in getting (Henderson and Cole) ready, they made the transition a lot smoother than most people do.â€
Dunlap mentored Cole in individual workouts and team practices; Cole said she has been appreciative of Dunlap’s helpfulness and availability, while she still transitions into college life.
Cole added that Dunlap will point out any mistakes she’s making in practices that might have gone unnoticed by the coaches.
Dunlap’s offseason preparation has not strictly been limited to off-the-court training, as Dunlap looks to improve on last season’s dominance in major statistical categories.
Ball handling and free-throw shooting are areas she said she could use improvement. She shot a paltry 55.6 percent from the foul line last season.
“I’ve been working on my shooting, period,†Dunlap said. “I know it has been hard times for me at the free-throw line.â€
If Dunlap could improve her free-throw shooting to anywhere between 65 and 70 percent her game would be “transformed,†Mitchell said, alluding to the fact that she would become a complete offensive threat.
Even with Dunlap’s current woes at the line, Pillow already believes Dunlap can compete against anyone, not just in the Southeastern Conference, but also the NCAA. Pillow also joked that at least Dunlap’s free-throw shooting was not as bad as Shaquille O’Neal’s and that no team would adopt a “hack-a-Vic†strategy of intentionally fouling Dunlap.
Having improved in each of her two seasons statistically, Dunlap will look to improve again this year. The best news for Dunlap is how acclimatized she has become to her role as a leader for UK, which should play some role in determining how successful the Cats are this year.
“If you’re a leader on the team, you can’t just worry about yourself,†Dunlap said. “You have to worry about your teammates and what they’re doing, and make sure their mindset is right.â€
See more from the Kernel’s 2009 Basketball Preview:
Degree, NCAA tournament keep Patterson from NBA
Recruits aim to revive program
SEC rebounds from bad reputation
New coach gives sophomore a second chance at UK
The third time’s the charm: Harris, Stevenson cope with third coach in four years
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