Southeast Missouri State University student publication

Transfer players on women's basketball team welcomed by team

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

College basketball players transfer from one school to the other rather frequently. The players can either move up from the junior college level to a four-year university or from one university to another.

People on the outside are not aware of what the player goes through in the transfer process.

The Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team has three transfers which include junior forward Erin Bollmann, senior forward Hillary Lively and senior guard Jasmine Robinson.

Lively, who became a Redhawk two years ago, said she was accepted by her teammates right from the start.

"From day one they welcomed me with open arms." Lively said. "Whether it's in academics or athletics, I never felt like a transfer and always felt welcome."

Lively averaged a team-high 11.9 points per game as a sophomore at Danville Community College before coming to Southeast and led the nation in field goal percentage at 61.9 percent in 2012. But she noticed that the No. 1 thing she would have to get used to was the speed of the game.

"The people are bigger, the teams are faster, stronger and more athletic," Lively said. "The biggest transition was trying to keep up with the pace of the game."

Most people think of student-athletes only as players on the court or field, but they are also students with classes and practice. Lively felt as though this would be her biggest worry.

"Time management, being able to get meals in and practice, and homework done all in one day was one of the worries I had, but I definitely have gotten better at it," Lively said.

Schools like Southeast get transfers coming to and from its athletic programs every year and this year was no different with Bollmann coming in to her first season as a Redhawk and felt welcome.

"My teammates have been great and made me feel like family, so they have made the transition very easy," Bollmann said.

Like Lively, Bollmann says the intensity at the Division I level is something she has to get used to.

"The speed is a lot faster this year compared to JUCO," Bollman said. "I would say that everything is just a bump up."

Bollmann averaged 13.8 points at Three Rivers Community College and added that playing at Southeast has had a big impact on her basketball career.

"I'm having a blast at SEMO," Bollmann said. "I'm playing a lot of minutes and rebounding well. I would say the team is utilizing my strengths well."

Not all transfers come from community or junior colleges, some student-athletes transfer from one university to another. Robinson, who started 30 games and averaged 9.5 points in 2012 at Alabama and had to sit out a year before playing at Southeast under NCAA rules, said her teammates helped her through this rough time.

"They were really supportive and kept on me," Robinson said, "It's hard when you go from playing a lot and then have to sit out a year. They helped me stayed focused."

Robinson noted that whether you come from one Division I program to another or from a community college when you walk out on the court, it's still basketball.

"There's really no transition on the court," Robinson said. "It's simply basketball from one conference to another."

Now that all three of these players are on the court and competing as Redhawks, coach Ty Margenthaler expects big things from them.

"Hillary has made big improvements this summer and committed herself as a captain," Margenthaler said. "I see big things from her."

Margenthaler is expecting a force down low from Bollmann this season.

"She is learning the ropes, but she will be a good rebounder and defender in this conference," Margenthaler said. "I think she will also add a scoring punch for us,"

With Robinson, Margenthaler is looking to her experience on the court to be a big factor for her.

"Jasmine has a lot of experience being a fifth-year senior," Margenthaler said. "She will bring athleticism and hopefully be that lockdown defender that we need."

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