LSSU guard is among GLIAC leaders in scoring, passing and steals

By LINDA BOUVET, LSSU Sports Information Director

It’s no secret that senior guard Emily Joseph is among the top scorers in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and capable of scoring 20 or more points on any given day.

When the league’s No. 3 scorer, who is averaging 14.7 points per game overall and 16.9 ppg against GLIAC opponents, happens to not hit her average, it doesn’t mean she’s having a bad game. In those contests, she is averaging almost five assists per game.

“If I don’t score, and if teams take that away from me, I know there are four other people on the court,” said Joseph, who averaged 7.4 points per game during her first five games of the year and 21.2 ppg during her next nine. “I know that Cassy, Coley or Maria can score 20 points. We have so many threats. It doesn’t matter to me, because I like to pass too.”

When Joseph was a freshman in 2007-08, she took over at point guard due to an injury to senior guard Ronlea Peterson. She struggled to find her way that year, trying to learn when to shoot, when to drive and how to find post players Jaclyn Armstrong and Alyssa VanderWal.

“Emily has been one of those kids that from the day she stepped on campus, she has had one goal in mind, and that is to win,” LSSU coach Jamie Pewinski said. “She is by far the most competitive kid that I have coached and makes no apologies for it. She has high standards and expectations of herself, and really demands that her team follows her path.  Emily always puts the team and the program ahead of herself. As she has gotten older, she has become more vocal, and it truly has made her one of the better leaders we've ever had here.”

Each season, Joseph improved. She has ranked among the top four in the GLIAC in assists during each of the last three seasons, and now has a shot of being the second LSSU player, male or female, in recent history to rank among the top 10 in career scoring and assists. By her sophomore season, she was connecting with VanderWal and Armstrong, who went on to earn All-GLIAC honors. Last season, she was the leader of a team that had no seniors, but gained poise every game. The Lakers were balanced, and learning how to compete against the league’s top teams.

“Emily is our go-to girl,” senior guard Nicole Marshall said. “She’s clutch in games. We feed off her. She’s a scoring machine, and we’ll keep giving her the ball. She’s improved a lot from last year.”

“Emily has a scorer’s mentaility,” said Peterson, who is the Lakers’ defensive leader. “She’s going to make sure she gets good looks. It doesn’t matter what’s going on. She’s got that will to win. You can’t teach that. You’re born with that.”

This season, with all five starters returning, it’s all coming together for the Lakers. Opponents pay if they key on one player, which gives Joseph plenty of options. Marshall, junior center Cassy Schemberger and sophomore forward Maria Blazejewski are averaging between 11.4 and 13.4 points per game, and GLIAC All-Defensive Team honoree Peterson has had nine double-figure outings. Joseph is also the team leader in steals for a Laker team that is ranked fourth in the GLIAC in scoring defense.

“We have such good chemistry,” Joseph said. “I think, ‘OK, Coley just hit three threes. I need to get her another three.’ Or Coach will call a play for that person.”

“There isn't a player in the conference who has had a better season than Emily,” Pewinski said. “She plays within the system and takes what the defense is giving her. Early in her career, she was doubted by a lot of people, but never by me. Those people didn't see her drive and desire to be the best. They didn't pay attention to the endless hours she put in the gym or how committed she was to work on her weaknesses. The doubters were not able to see that there was nothing that could keep Emily from having the season she is having. Our record here during Emily's career does not reflect the commitment, hard work and desire to win that Emily has given to this program. Only during her senior year are we now starting to see her work reflected in our record. She is the type of kid who we will always be looking to have on the team, but are very difficult to find.”

The Lakers, who are one of three GLIAC teams ranked among the top five in the NCAA Midwest Region this year, ended the 2009-10 season in the GLIAC Tournament semifinals with a 72-43 loss to Michigan Tech. The Lakers suffered a six point loss at MTU and fell 70-68 in overtime at home to the Huskies this season. With Michigan Tech being the perennial measuring stick, they know how close they are.

“We just need to play consistent,” Joseph said. “We’ve had, in the past, so much talent, but had that lapse in games or lost two or three in a row. We haven’t had that this year. When we play our game, we are very hard to beat. When we don’t play together, then we lose.”