Basketball Bulletin Board

That's why she's been accepted on a partial scholarship at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion.  Borys, a starter on last year's Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) champion and Merrillville Sectional champion Lady Bulldogs, averaged 7.6 points and 5.2 rebounds over 24 games for coach Tom May.

But the 6-foot teenager, an honor roll student but not a basketball starter until her senior year, wants to do more.  "I just didn't want to quit playing," she said.  "I still love to play.  I know I'm starting over.  A lot like high school. But I think I can do it."  Coach Brooks clearly thinks so.  In a five-player class that includes three forwards and two guards, including Kokomo's Jennie Martin, Borys received the most financial aid (Wesleyan has just six full scholarships to offer) from the athletic department.

"We have five starters coming back from last year," said Brooks.  "Nothing is being guaranteed to anyone.  But that includes the five players that are returning."

"They contacted me," said Borys, who was first discovered by Brooks from a listing on an Internet basketball web site called Roundball Review, operated by Jackie Webster, mom of Lady Bulldog junior Alex Webster.

"When they first contacted me, I didn't know if I should even go there," the CP senior admitted, "but I did and I liked it.  Everything is nice."

Borys will be on the same team as Munster graduate Stephanie Gill (2000), who started at Wesleyan this past year.  In Wesleyan's conference is Taylor University, which graduates former lady Bulldog Jen Peak (1997) and still is home for Hanover Central all-time leading scorer Melanie Brumbaugh (2000).  Wesleyan recruited a five-girl all-Hoosier class with Borys, Norwell's Mandi Topp and Northfield's Abbi Wilson at forwards, plus Martin and South Ripley's Ashley Lauber at guards.

Also in Wesleyan's Mid-Central Conference is Bethel, which starts Lowell grad Kelly Schoon (2000) and Grace College , which includes River Forest alum Tracie Mezera (2000).  "It's a tough NAIA Division II conference," said Brooks.  "Before I become coach at Wesleyan, I was athletic director at Taylor University and they're similar colleges.  Christian liberal arts schools.  No drinking.  No drugs.  Not everybody's looking for that environment."

Wesleyan was 9-22 last year after losing eight games in the pre-conference season to teams that were ranked in their class.  "I may have overscheduled," said Brooks.  "We didn't know how to win.  I found out I had a lot of small school girls.  Kids who may have played from the time they were a freshman.  Nikki isn't like that.  I don't think she had anything handed to her.  Nikki and Jennie come from winning programs.  They're used to winning and they know what it takes to win."

Borys wants to be in the communications field and Wesleyan's in-house TV and radio station interest her.  The school of 2,000 also seems to be on the rise.  "The first thing I noticed was the gym," she said.  "It's really nice."

"It's almost brand new," said Brooks.  "Just two years old.  They're finishing a new library and a new dormitory.  They're putting almost 70 million dollars of improvements into the college."

"A lot of players have passion for the game," the coach said.  "I'm more interest in commitment.  Guys are defined by sports.  Girls are not.  That's a strength and a weakness.  They have to make the commitment to improve.  Nikki made the commitment at Crown Point.  She had to.  If you know anything about basketball in this state, you know about Crown Point's girls program.  I think our program is a lot like Crown Point's in that it's tough.  It's supposed to be tough.  Life is tough.  We don't ask Nikki to come in and be the best player in our program.  We just ask her to be the best player she can be.  If I'm doing my job recruiting, we'll keep bringing in better players all the time and I would hope that some of our players are working hard over the summer because someone like Nikki is coming in."

Borys and Sarah Zondor (DePauw University in Greencastle) will be the first Lady Bulldogs to play in college since Amy Burich played two season for Goshen in the mid-90s.  Nikki is the third of four Borys girls.  Her oldest sister Stacy played with Burich at CP in the mid-90s.  Mary Borys is a CPHS grad and a college sophomore and youngest sister Terri-Ann Borys will enter Crown Point in 2002.

Many who watched Borys felt that she did not utilize her offensive skills.  Forced to play with her back to the basket most of her high school career, Nikki was hesitant to shoot as a senior.  But her shooting percentages (73 of 178, 41.8 FGs and 33 of 41, 80.4 FTs) hint that much more is possible.

"It feels good to know where I'm going," she admits.  "Everybody's asking everybody where they were going and I just kept saying, I didn't know.  Now, I do."