In Focus: Personalities, Talents Come Together For UW Veterans
November 01, 2016 | General, Women's Basketball
By Mason Kelley
GoHuskies.com
Kelsey Plum was having a bad day.
In fact, at this start of this particular practice, well, "I had a terrible attitude," the senior said with a laugh.
The Washington women's basketball team is so close the Huskies know when a teammate is being a "brat." And they are so comfortable around each other they won't hesitate to share their feelings.
So, with Plum needing a quick course correction, Chantel Osahor provided some levity.
"I wonder what the teams are today," she said. "It could be bad."
Plum, who "let my competitive juices get the best of me," laughed. So did her teammates.
"Chantel put me right back in place," Plum said.
That exchange provided an instant attitude adjustment.
"You've just got to laugh at it, because they're messing with you," Plum said. "They keep you humble and honest. It's cool. You know you can be comfortable around each other. You know you can make fun of each other."
Spend enough time around this group of Huskies and one thing becomes clear – each player is unapologetically authentic.
From coach Mike Neighbors down through the freshmen, this program prides itself on fostering an environment where players can thrive as individuals as they grow together as a team.
"We're different in similar ways," Osahor said. "We get each other. We get it when we irritate each other. We get it when things go wrong. We have that sense of sisters. It's pretty cool."
This bond, as strong as any family, was forged through the tough times, particularly when it comes to two of the Huskies' recruiting classes – 2012 (Katie Collier and Heather Corral) and 2013 (Plum, Osahor and Brianna Ruiz).
"I think we're closer than most teams," Collier said. "I know that's an outsider looking in on other people, but last year, I think that's when everyone saw it and it's true. We're all that close. We're all friends off the court, which I think really impacts the way we play together.
"A lot of that, it sounds cliché, but it comes with being ourselves and being open and honest, trusting one another and really respecting who we are, vibing off what each one of us brings to the table, because everyone brings something different."
This close connection started during Collier and Corral's official visit. Now best friends, the recruits had never met prior to the trip. A pair of local standouts, they shared a variety of common interests, with coffee being at the top of the list.
But, while they became fast friends, their connection was cemented when Collier began coughing up blood during that official visit.
They had known each other for less than 24 hours and Corral knew something was wrong.
"I've seen so many shows, that's not good," she said.
A few days later, Collier was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia.
"Being the first person there to see the blood, the tiredness and the throwing up, nothing beats that bond of being the first one to see the symptoms and watch her go through cancer and her ACL tear and her being there through all my ACL tears," Corral said.
Corral was there for Collier through her fight with cancer and then a torn ACL as a freshman. Then Collier returned the favor as Corral endured her own knee issues and now, "we're going on Year 5 together," Collier said.
Best friends. Teammates. Sisters. Collier and Corral share a connection that carried over to the next year's recruiting class. Plum, Osahor and Ruiz are so close there isn't anything they would keep from each other.
"Those two, I would go to them for anything, but all of my teammates, we're all so close that we could all go to each other with something before some family members," Osahor said. "That's how close we are. We're all sisters."
Like Corral and Collier, tough times brought them together.
"What got us here was the rough times when we were together and had to figure out each other's personalities," Osahor said. "There were some rough patches, but all of those helped us grow together and brought us closer than ever."
This is a team that has played in the Final Four, but they were able to get there, because they used adversity as an exercise in team building.
"What got us here was the rough times when we were together and had to figure out each other's personalities," Osahor said. "There were some rough patches, but all of those helped us grow together and brought us closer than ever."
When Plum needs advice, she calls Osahor and Ruiz. When she is going to an event, she calls Collier to help select and outfit. If she's going out on the town, she calls Corral. And, during timeouts last season, when a knee injury kept Corral on the bench instead of the lineup, Plum asked her teammate, "What do you see out there?"
"She's got a great basketball mind," Plum said, talking about Corral.
This group knows each other so well they have an intimate understanding how to help each other both on and off the floor.
"It's been really cool to enjoy each other the past couple of years," Plum said. "Learning to love all these people, they just have such good hearts. I'm definitely going to miss them."
So now they begin a new year with old friends. These Huskies are entering a bittersweet season. They have lofty goals. They have a talented team. But for the three seniors, Corral and Ruiz, it is a year they want to extend as long as possible.
"It's 100 percent bittersweet," Osahor said. "You're excited. You're a senior. You've got to move on and do new things with your life, but it's a little bitter because you're so close to this group. You don't want that journey to end."
For Ruiz, this season is particularly difficult as she continues to rehab a knee injury suffered last season.
"Sitting at practice is mentally exhausting, but sitting there also makes me want to come back so much more, because I want to be in there," she said. "I want to play."
It hasn't always been easy. The tough times have been particularly difficult. But the payoff has been trips to the Final Four and Australia in addition to this one last year together. And, no matter what happens, the opportunity to be a team, to share this season, well, that's something to savor.
"Having the opportunity to play with Katie again and Chantel and Kelsey again, who I only played seven games with, is such a blessing," Corral said, "and them believing in me, saying 'even if they say you can't do it, if you want to do it, we'll support you. We'll help you. Whatever you need, we've got your back.' That's been really awesome."
Ruiz added, "We've just gotten so close. It's been so much fun getting to know each other's strengths and weaknesses, being able to learn from each other. Playing with them, it's been awesome. It's been a great ride so far."
This group knows better than most that "nothing is promised," so what Plum calls the "emotional rollercoaster" has been a ride worth taking.
"It's so much more rewarding because we've been in the ditches with each other," she said. "When we climb up to those moments, that's who you've struggled with. It makes it so much more gratifying that you were with all of the people you were down with.
"We've been able to form lifelong friendships, because so many crazy things have happened on both ends of the spectrum."
