BEYONDTHE BARN

Celebrating Golden Gopher Women’s Basketball

January 2014Golden Gopher Women’s Basketball516 15th Avenue SEMinneapolis, MN 55455

(612) 624-3563gophersports.com

excelling on and off the court

big ten conference

February 9 // Minnesota vs. Illinois2:00 pm Tip-OffBox Out Breast Cancer GameMinnesota Girls and Women in Sports DayBring a Friend to the Barn BOGO

February 20 // Minnesota vs. Purdue7:00 pm Tip-OffUniversity of Minnesota Student NightMaple Grove Community Night (Mikayla Bailey)

February 27// Minnesota vs. IndianaTBD

Gopher Fan Appreciation NightLakeville Community Night (Rachel Banham)

upcoming events

Photos courtesy of Sarah Turcotte, Jess Lemanski, & Brittany Henry. Articles contributed by Sarah Turcotte, Brittany Barber and McNamara.

radio show

The Pam Borton Radio Show has returned this season. The live shows will take place Monday’s at 7:30 pm at Applebee’s on the U of M Campus; all fans are welcome! The show features Coach Pam Borton and a different player each week. If you are unable to join us in person for the live taping, tune in on ESPN 1500.

fast break club events

The Fast Break Club hosts or helps coordinate several events throughout the year. These events are a great opportunity to interact with the players and coaches and to visit with other members. Please check out their website for more details:www.fastbreakclub.net

Each month, the McNamara Academic Center for Student-Athletes (MAC) will recognize one male and one female University of Minnesota student-athlete for their academic achievements. The winners are determined by a number of factors evaluated on a monthly basis. Including, but not limited to outstanding test/exam results, GPA improvements, superior modeling in study habits and skills, academic praise from instructors, and overall grade reports for a given semester.

Amanda Zahui B. is a redshirt freshman on the Women’s Basketball team and the Female Student-Athlete of the Month. Amanda came to the University of Minnesota last spring from Sweden and began her transition to a new culture and academic life. She has made an immediate impact on the Women’s Basketball team this season, being named Big Ten Player and Freshman of the Week three times. Her performance in the classroom has been equally impressive. “Amanda has a very strong work ethic and performed extremely well academically this semester,” commented Academic Counselor Alissa Allen.

“She consistently seeks out the assistance she needs, and her tutors have repeatedly commented on the strides made in her

academics and her high motivation to succeed. She always knows what needs to be done and consistently works ahead. I am very impressed with everything that Amanda has accomplished in her time here.”

When asked about the transition, Amanda said “The hard part is the amount of work we have to get done in a short amount of time, but we get help from great tutors so everything is going really well.”

Academic Counselor Alissa Allen joked about the fact that Amanda has turned the conference room into her own personal office, also mentioning Amanda’s role in emphasizing the importance of good grades to her fellow teammates.

Head Women’s Basketball Coach, Pam Borton, was excited for Amanda’s honor. “Amanda excels in all aspects of her life! She is committed to hard work and excellence. She has set very high goals for herself, and there is no doubt her dreams will become a reality. Her greatest gift is that she makes everyone better around her because of her positive energy and spirit.” Amanda wasn’t alone in her academic efforts this semester-Gopher Women’s basketball finished their Fall semester with a cumulative GPA of 3.232.

Amanda Zahui B.C | 6-5 | Rfr | Stockholm, Sweden

Student Athlete of the Month

Gophers give alumni warm welcome back

Where are they now?

Having lived in various cities across the country you are back in St. Paul, Minnesota (and by choice), Can you speak to that?

As a young woman, I had a serious case of wanderlust. I loved to travel and explore new places, and still do. I also had a very supportive family - the kind that enjoys dinners together, caroling and road trips. I still have that too. So now, as a career woman and mother, my solution to wanderlust and love of family was to live in St. Paul near my favorite people in the world, and pop outta town for shoots as needed with the comfort of knowing the kiddo is in a loving, safe place while I’m away. Nothing in the world can compare to the love and support we share as a family - not 360 days of sunshine and a daily hike (aahhh... Colorado) or the Met and Central Park at your fingertips (gotta love NYC). Family comes first.

We know there are lots, got a favorite Gopher basketball memory?

I spent only one year on the team before moving on to pursue my passion for music, but a lot of memories were made in a short time. Most aren’t fit for print, but what has always stuck with me is the bond formed between teammates. It’s unlike anything I’d experienced prior to college athletics and I’ve yet to experience since. There is a unique sisterhood created between a group of young adults sharing in the extreme pressures for success in academics and athletics, and all the emotions that go along with persevering in a high-stress environment alongside like-minded women. I didn’t expect the impact of being a part of a team to be as lasting as it has been, but I am grateful for the timelessness of having been a Gopher.

With sky being the limit, what’s next for Kat Higgins?

Minnesota Opera. I’ve got a lot of work to do before scoring the role of Carmen, and I’ll get there.

We chatted about how being a student-athlete laid a foundation for who you are today, can you tell us about that?

I have been an athlete since a very young age beginning with competitive basketball in second grade, adding soccer, track and swimming to my training in middle school. Through the years, my main focus outside of school was sports - and success in the two areas is not mutually exclusive. If you work hard in school you are afforded the opportunities to play hard; if you don’t get your work done you won’t be playing anything. So balancing work and play wasn’t negotiable, it was required. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to develop as a young woman having to manage my time and responsibilities so diligently because, though it was difficult and not always “fun”, the good habits and healthy lifestyle that result from a strong commitment to higher achievement is unquestionably worth the effort.

Student-athlete turned Executive Producer, tell us about your journey.

It’s not by accident that an athlete plays at the Big Ten level-it takes hard work, tireless commitment, and a lot of sacrifice. Those attributes transfer directly to the “real world” outside of college, and in particular to my success as a television producer where I really found my niche and experienced some of the biggest adversity as well as greatest successes thus far. Nearly all of my triumphs were born out of mistakes or unexpected hardship. But how you react to the challenges you’re faced with is the critical step - in my case, the challenges have been my fuel. The adversity has been the kick in the pants I needed to focus better and work harder. From college athlete to radio personality, singing alongside Prince to the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, sudden single motherhood to newfound success in triathlons and overseeing Emmy Award-winning productions. There’s one little four letter word that has been the key to all of my greatest accomplishments: WORK. I have yet to experience success in life without a whole lot of hard work (and a little luck).

You are unique in that you have competed at high levels in multiple sports, the arts as a singer and now as an Executive Producer of a Primetime Emmy Nominated television series (Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives) as well as the Executive Producer of a Daytime Emmy Award Winning special program (Guy’s Family Reunion). What is your biggest motivator?

Fear.

Coach’s Corner Check out this play right out of the Gopher’s 2013-2014 Playbook! This inbound play was originally taken from the Boston Celtics and is an excellent choice for quick points on the board.

pass

dribble movement

screen

Coach’s Corner

History and tradition have long been a large part of the foundation of the Minnesota women’s basketball program, and Sunday’s game against Northwestern served as a warm “Welcome Back!” to the former Gophers that paved the way for the players that reap the benefits of their hard work and sacrifices today.

Over 50 former Gophers and their families made their way to Williams Arena Sunday to watch Minnesota handily defeat the Wildcats, 94-59, behind a complete team effort on both ends of the floor. But, prior to taking in all of the action on the court, the alumni were able to reminisce and mingle with each other, head coach Pam Borton and the Gopher coaching staff at a pregame reception in the Williams Arena Club Room.

At halftime, each of the former Gophers headed onto the raised floor to be recognized by their loyal fans. The fans that still remember each moment of their playing careers. It was a treat for the Gopher faithful to see how their favorite players have blossomed in their lives since their time at Minnesota and to see their growing families.

Those same fans had the opportunity to recognize and celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Minnesota’s magical run to

2004 NCAA Final Four and the players that made up that remarkable team in the second half. Each member of the Final Four squad received a commemorative plaque and were able to watch a special highlight reel of their journey to New Orleans.

front row (l-r): shannon schonrock, lori dimitroff, brian frye (director of operations), april calhoun

back row (l-r): michael fischer (video coordinator), moira novak (director of athletic medicine), hannah garry, jamie broback, leslie hill, shannon bolden, chris norman (manager)

Members of the 2004 Final Four teamat Alumni Day

Emmy Award Winner, Kat HigginsFrom hoops to the red carpet, catch up with our own inspiring, multi-talented Kat Higgins, the Executive Producer of Food Network programming for Citizen Pictures in Denver.

Check out this play right out of the Gopher’s 2013-2014 Playbook! ‘Double High’ is an inbound play that wasoriginally taken from the Boston Celtics and is an excellent choice for quick points on the board.