Oly grad Schick Zags' MVP - in practice, at least

posted 01:20 PM 11/18
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She'll be at basketball practice, waiting to get into a drill.

And Carter Schick will look down and see Gonzaga written on her practice jersey. It’s her pinchme-I’m-dreaming moment.

“I’ll see Gonzaga and I just can’t believe it,” Schick said. “Every day I’m the most blessed kid on the planet.”

Schick went to Gonzaga on a golf scholarship after graduating from Olympia High School two years ago. But in the spring of her freshman year, Schick asked Gonzaga coach Kelly Graves if she could play in the team’s pickup games. To her surprise, she was told yes.

A month later, Schick was told she could join the team.

“It was the happiest day of my life,” Schick said. “Basketball is my sport. I love it. Golf was more like a job.”

It’s not as if Schick is Gonzaga’s go-to scorer. She played her season-high of three minutes against Montana State last year, and played in six games total.

People will ask her if all the practice and hard work are worth it since she doesn’t play much. She’ll cock her head and just look to them, wondering, “Are you kidding?” Just being on the team is reward enough.

“I get to travel with the team. I get to go to places I’ve never been,” Schick said. “I get to be around the greatest people. I love it.”

Schick’s contribution can’t be measured in points scored. Her value is during practice, when she pushes the starters during scrimmage.

“I just try to make them better and keep them motivated,” Schick said. “That’s my role.”

Schick hit a 3-pointer for her only points of the season in a win against Eastern Oregon. The rest of the season she cheered, highfived and backslapped her teammates, motivating them any way she could.

“Carter is a coach’s dream,” Graves said. “Although she doesn’t play as much as the others, she is every bit as important to our success as anyone else. She keeps our team loose by dancing, singing, impersonating, telling jokes.”

Schick’s contribution also comes with comic relief. That was obvious to her teammates during a halftime last season. Gonzaga coaches let their players go into the locker room first at halftime for a moment to talk about the game. It was during one of those halftimes that Schick mimicked Graves, gesturing and talking like him.

“He came in and did and said exactly what I did,” Schick said. “I didn’t laugh. I thought I was going to get into trouble.”

She didn’t. How can a coach get mad at his team’s practice MVP?

“Inside of her is a great competitor and a loving teammate,” Graves said.

Goal stopper: With his knack for blocking shots on goal, Nathan Salveson always gave his team a chance to win. As a result, Salveson, a senior goalkeeper on The Evergreen State College men’s soccer team, was named first-team all-conference. Joining Salveson on the first team was teammate Kyle Foster, a senior defender.

Salveson had 21 saves in 15 games, averaging 1.48 saves per game.

Evergreen forward Corey Johnson and midfielder Takashi Matsuno made the second team. Johnson led Evergreen with seven goals.

Concordia’s Tyler Camp was named the conference’s player of the year.

Rebound queen: Jacki Speer became Southern Oregon’s solution to missed shots.

In a recent 82-79 win against Holy Names, Speer, a 6-foot-2 senior forward from Centralia, pulled down a school-record 28 rebounds. Miss-and-make became her motto.

Speer finished with 28 points, her fourth straight double-double.

Her record-breaking night moved her into second in career rebounds at Southern Oregon.

Walker honored: Saint Martin’s men’s soccer coach Rob Walker was named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference coach of the year.

Accolades followed SMU’s run to its first conference championship, finishing 11-7 overall and 6-2 in conference in just the third year of the program.

SMU forward Xan Nixon, goalkeeper Zac Lubin and midfielder Ruben Orozco all earned first-team all-conference honors.

Wildcat update: Top-ranked Central Washington will host Tarleton State on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Division II football playoffs at noon in Tomlinson Stadium. Tickets are $10 for general admission.

Gail Wood: 360-754-5443 gwood@theolympian.com www.theolympian.com/sports/blog

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