Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
(written by Emily Zadny, Student Sports Information Assistant)
Feb. 1, 2016 - Since she was five years old, North Central College women's basketball player Jamie Cuny has had a basketball in her hand. She started out on YMCA club teams, where she was usually the only girl on the team, and once she reached middle school, began playing on travel teams as well as her school team.
Having the influence from her father, a basketball player himself, had a huge impact on her love for the sport and her motivation to continue playing both when she first started out and even to this day.
"I look up to my dad a lot when it comes to basketball," she said. "He knows a lot about the game and has coached me since I was a little girl. He has taught me most of what I know about the game and helped me develop into the player that I am today."
While basketball has always been her favorite sport, Cuny also played volleyball and softball as a youth. As she began to become more involved in basketball and spent more time playing on travel leagues, the other sports fizzled out of her life.
"Towards the end of my junior year in high school it clicked that there was no way I was going to stop playing basketball," said Cuny. "It has been a major part of my life since I was young and I was not ready to give it up. I couldn't imagine not playing basketball in college, and it is one of the best decisions I've made."
A Naperville native, Cuny never really considered North Central in her college search and began pursuing schools away from the area. She committed to the University of Illinois-Springfield, drawn to the allure of a program on the rise and a new opportunity away from home.
"When I went to visit I really enjoyed it and they were looking to build their basketball program," said Cuny. "They had a new coach so I was one of his first recruits, and I really liked the girls on the team.
"But after spending a year there I really missed home and the school just didn't feel like the right fit for me. I enjoyed the time I had there, but after a lot of thinking and talking with my parents, I didn't see myself there for three years, so I decided to move closer to home."
When it came time to transfer, Cuny had narrowed down her close-to-home choices to North Central and Elmhurst College. It only took one visit to North Central for her to make her final decision.
"On my visit to North Central, I knew right away that I wanted to be here," said Cuny. "I love the area and the education program is outstanding so I knew I would have a good experience. I absolutely loved the team when I visited and definitely saw myself enjoying going to school here."
Cuny, a double major in mathematics and secondary education, has adjusted well and found her place here at North Central. Embracing the student athlete lifestyle, she has learned to balance a double major and athletics well. Last spring, she completed 50 hours of student teaching fieldwork at Hill Middle School, working with sixth-grade students.
"The workload can be extremely overwhelming and having a sport on top of that can be a lot, but I wouldn't change any of it," said Cuny. "I'm doing what I love and trying to enjoy every second of it."
Having a busy schedule means that free time comes at a premium, but Cuny enjoys spending the little bit of free time she has volunteering at her church or catching up on Criminal Minds and One Tree Hill on Netflix.
When it comes to basketball, Cuny has established herself as an impact player in just her first season with the Cardinals. During the 2014-2015 campaign, she started all 28 games and blocked 91 shots to break the program's single-season and career records. She also led the team in rebounds (209) and averaged 8.8 points per game.
She was named the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Player of the week on Dec. 8 and Division III National Player of the Week for Dec. 16 as well as Third Team All-CCIW.
This season, she is once again a force to be reckoned with. In 20 games, Cuny has averaged 10.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game while ranking first in the CCIW and 12th nationally among NCAA Division III players with 3.1 blocked shots per game,
Her success on the court is not the only thing Cuny thinks about when asked about Cardinal basketball. For her, there is more to the game than the numbers on the board.
"There are so many great memories I have with North Central basketball, but my top two are making the NCAA Tournament last year and beating Elmhurst in the conference tournament," said Cuny.
"I think it was our first win in the conference tournament in school history, and I remember having so much fun playing that game. It advanced us to play in the conference championship game, and I would love to experience that again."
The Cardinals (10-10, 4-5 CCIW) travel to face Augustana College on Wednesday, with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
