Senior Tamika Nurse dashed downcourt after the opening tip, took a pass from center Tara Breske and promptly missed her first shot as Falcon.
Not to worry, though, as the transfer from Oregon used what coach Curt Miller described as the best speed he has coached in his 20-year career to play strong defense, helping the Falcons to a 80-50 exhibition win against Findlay.
‘Obviously the thing you first notice about her is she’s lightning quick,’ Miller said last week during the team’s media day. ‘She’s exciting at both ends of the floor. She can change a game with her speed.’
And change the game she did, harassing her primary assignments ‘- Findlay guards Audra Mihalic and Ashley Andrews ‘- on offense and scoring 14 points of her own, including eight from the free-throw line. She also added a blocked shot and three steals.
For Miller, the chance to coach that kind of speed only came about after the 5-foot-8 guard decided to transfer to BG before the 2008-09 season after a three-year stint with Oregon University, thus becoming the second player from her family to play under Miller.
Her aunt ‘- the former Raquel Nurse ‘- played basketball at Syracuse from 1994-1998 finishing with the second most assists (530) and steals (275) in program history during Miller’s four-year tenure as an assistant coach.
When the decision to transfer arose, the younger Nurse gave her aunt a call to see if playing under Miller would be a good fit.
‘She was a huge push for here,’ Nurse said. ‘She loved him when she played for him. She had nothing but great things to say about him. I don’t think she’s ever said one bad thing about him.’
All the good things her aunt had to say about Miller, combined with her competitive spirit, made sitting out last season because of NCAA regulations one of the hardest things Nurse has done in her career.
‘The transferring is hard because you have to sit,’ Nurse said. ‘That is the single most difficult part of the whole situation; you have to sit there and watch your team play without you for a whole year.’
But now, even before she has a regular-season game under her belt, her teammates are excited about the prospects of having her in the starting lineup.
‘She is so fast,’ said junior Lauren Prochaska, the team’s starting shooting guard. ‘She can shoot the ball. She’s a great defender. She brings so much to the team right now, and we’re excited to have her.’
Nurse will partner with junior point guard Tracy Pontius in the backcourt to give the Falcons tremendous speed in the transition game.
‘I think she’s a good fit,’ Pontius said. ‘She’ll definitely be a good for me in the backcourt because she brings speed to our team.’
Miller is equally excited about Nurse’s ability to shoot the ball as he was about her speed. Nurse scored 606 points in her time with the Ducks.
‘What’s underrated about her is her outside shooting,’ Miller said. ‘She’s really going to be exciting in the pick and roll offense because she can get to the basket, but she’ll keep you honest at the three point line.’
She’ll also be dangerous if teams get a hand on her as she drives to the hoop. As a career 76.2 percent free-throw shooter, Nurse will fit right in with Prochaska and Pontius ‘- two of the top free throw shooters (93.3 and 82.4 percent, respectively) in the nation last season.
But in the end, Nurse is replacing the graduated Lindsey Goldsberry, one of the best defensive players in program history, and she’ll be using her speed to make sure fans don’t notice there was a change.
‘My speed, I think, is a weapon, and I know there are times when I need to burn it,’ Nurse said. ‘On defense, I’ve always felt it’s kind of a desire. If you want to be a good defensive player you have to do it.”
