Contact: Ashleigh Jones, Sports Information Graduate Assistant
Jan. 8 2018- Off the court, North Central College senior point guard Mayson Whipple is soft-spoken and carefree. On the court however, that same soft-spoken student-athlete is a vocal and tenacious leader on the women's basketball team, moving the ball across the court with speed and accuracy.
Just ten months after recovering from a season ending ACL tear, the Byron, Ill. native has returned to the Cardinals' starting lineup and has played a crucial role as a captain and leading scorer for North Central.
"I had a lot of complications after I tore my ACL," said Whipple. "Just two weeks after my ACL surgery I was back in the hospital for a kidney infection and exactly one month later, just before finals week, my appendix ruptured."
Despite the complications, she has come back to the arena to not only prove to her teammates but to herself that she is ready to make an impact on the court once again and play a game she genuinely loves.
Her love for basketball has always been central to her success as a player, even when it was only considered a hobby.
"I was actually a competitive cheerleader from the age of three up until about 12," she said. "I was pretty small so I was often a flyer. But there is nothing really to do in Byron, so my brother and I would just play in our backyard all the time."
Though Mayson's competitive cheerleading career ended before high school, it was quickly replaced with Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball. Playing for the Midwest Elite basketball program her enjoyment for the game and the fundamentals of the sport were refined from freshman year all the way to senior year.
In Whipple's pursuit to continue playing basketball and further her education she fell in love with North Central's location.
"I really like the area, and the other schools that I was looking at were just too small and in small towns. I wanted to get away from that," said Mayson.
With her decision to play Cardinal basketball Whipple has made lasting friendships throughout her four years on the team and has developed into a leader along the way.
"I am mostly a leader by example," said Whipple. "I am not always the most vocal, mostly because I am really quiet, but on the court I am pretty vocal; telling teammates where to go and what we are in. I think it's a lot easier being the point guard because you have the ball in your hands most of the time and are already kind of running the show."
I enjoy driving to the basket and trying to create offense, and just finding open teammates while also creating options for myself."
That mindset has paid off for she remains the leading scorer on the team, averaging 10 points per game as well as leading the team's assist average with 3.5 per game.
As the season continues, Whipple and her teammates hope to discover their roles on the court and put everything together to find success at the tail end of the season.
"My goal for the rest of the season is to be a bit more aggressive," she said. "I am still a little hesitant out there after coming back, but it is slowly getting better."
With a set goal in mind on the court, Mayson's goals off the court are even bigger. She will be graduating in June with a chemistry degree and following graduation hopes to continue pursuing chemical engineering at the PhD level.
North Central (3-10, 1-3 CCIW) hosts Millikin University on Wednesday, Jan. 10 in Gregory Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m and links for live in-game coverage can be found HERE.
