The very definition of a leader lies in one name: Rachael Vanderwal.
The Boston University women’s basketball senior captain played arguably her best collegiate game ever in last night’s 73-46 romp of Northeastern University, recording a career high 21 points as well as career highs in field goals attempted (16) and made (8).
Vanderwal leads the Terriers in more than one way. Last night, she led by example. She led vocally. She led emotionally. At the start of the second half, the Ontario native went on a 6-0 run – and the team fed off her success.
And in perhaps the most important part of leading a team, she embraces her opportunity to be able to do so.
“I’m always offering them advice because I learned a lot, and I want to share that with them,” Vanderwal said. “I definitely want them to look up to me and ask me questions.”
What helped Vanderwal lead last night was the atmosphere and emotional flow of the contest.
“It was a pretty good crowd tonight,” Vanderwal said. “We definitely feed off the energy. The energy of the band and the fans gets us going.”
But there are more like Vanderwal on this squad.
Before the game, the only aspect of senior captain Katie Meinhardt – a preseason all-conference selection – that didn’t fit in was her black dress pants and striped shirt. Sitting quietly at the end of the bench with a clipboard in hand, the injured preseason all-conference first teamer didn’t miss a beat.
But the veteran leader displayed her leadership qualities in a different way. Every time the team huddled during a stoppage of play, Meinhardt was right there. She’s able to lead off the court, and just imagine how she’ll lead when she gets back on.
“She’s going to start practicing next week, and we’ll see how she comes along,” said BU coach Kelly Greenberg. “Hopefully she’ll be back very soon.”
Then there’s Greenberg herself. From the implementation of the team motto – BEID, or Bring It Every Day – to the instant correction of a rebounding problem, Greenberg guides her team to confidence and success.
When asked if she expected the battle with the Huskies to go the way it did, she simply replied, “Yeah.”
The blowout was Greenberg’s 100th career victory.
“In all honesty I’m not a numbers coach,” Greenberg said. “Friends and family get on me about it. I coach for the girls on our team. I try not to coach for records or newspaper articles and all that stuff.”
With veteran and budding leaders alike, this Terrier team seems to have more than enough leadership to take them wherever they want to go.