Walk-on provides energy off bench in loss

By Robby Howard | women's basketball/Little 500 beat writer

Posted at 11:00 pm on December 9, 2012 | | | Comments (0)

INDIANAPOLIS — After a disappointing 59-56 loss at Butler, sophomore guard Andrea Mize gave IU Coach Curt Miller a reason to smile.

Mize is new to the program. A walk-on from Greenwood, Ind., she made her collegiate debut Tuesday against Belmont, coming off the bench to play seven minutes.

Sunday, Mize played 17.

“Maybe our unsung hero tonight was a walk-on playing 17 minutes tonight and energizing us,” Miller said. “Drea really defended and played hard and sparked us with hard play.”

Mize’s contributions don’t show up in the stat sheet. She recorded one point, one assist and three rebounds. But Miller loved the hustle and passion Mize played with against the Bulldogs.

For Miller, Mize resembles exactly what he wants this women’s basketball program to transform into in the coming years.

“We just looked at each other as a coaching staff and kept looking at the players going, ‘Look what she’s doing by playing hard. Look at the positive impact she’s having on our program right now just by playing hard,’” Miller said. “That’s absolutely what we’re trying to instill.”

In a season in which Miller says it’s more about how this team plays than the results, Mize’s play was a breath of fresh air.

Late in the second half, Mize was able to stand in the lane and take a charge. When she got back to her feet. She did a fist pump and yelled, “Let’s go! Let’s go!” as her teammates swarmed her.

“In the first half she sparked us with her energy,” Miller said. “She didn’t give up points. She just played hard.”

Miller said he only saw Mize make one mistake during the game. After missing a free throw, she aggressively chased after the rebound, which allowed Butler to find the player Mize was guarding for a transition three.

“You can’t fault the kid,” Miller said. “She played 17 minutes tonight as a walk-on in a Big Ten program.”

Now Miller hopes Mize’s inspired play rubs off on the other players on the team as he continues to try to implement his philosophy of passionate play.

“A walk-on with no scholarship opportunities at this kind of level is impacting our play with hard work,” he said. “So what can the scholarship kids do? Can they get back in there and work really hard?”

Robby is in his second year with the IDS Sports staff. Follow him on Twitter @robbyhoward1

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