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UNM Women's Basketball: Freshman works to earn minutes

By Iliana Limón
Saturday, December 2, 2006

University of New Mexico freshman Valerie Kast is getting used to a place she has rarely seen during her basketball career.

The bench.

Kast, a 6-foot-6 center who played high school ball in Gallup but also has loads of experience on the Estonia national team, has never had to work this hard to earn playing time.

She has always played immediately after joining a team.

"It's a very new experience, but it's good for me," Kast said. "I'm just a freshman, and I knew this would happen. This is a much tougher level of basketball than I have ever played before, and it's good for me to be both challenged and eased into it."

After a few freshman bumps, including a one-game suspension for an undisclosed violation of team rules, Kast seems to have turned a corner.

She could be trusted in a rivalry game tonight, when the Lobos (4-2) take on New Mexico State (2-4) in The Pit.

"She's really coming along, and I think she has earned a little bit more playing time," UNM coach Don Flanagan said.

Kast said she feels like she is in much better shape now than at the beginning of the season and is starting to prove she can keep up with players at the Division I level.

"It has been awful getting into game shape, but I had to keep working," she said. "I had a choice. I could get mad and not work hard or I could push myself and get better."

Flanagan said she still needs to improve her conditioning to log more minutes, but it's valuable playing time he is considering awarding to Kast after her strong performance during UNM's Thanksgiving tournament.

In the championship game against Siena, Kast finished with eight points, five rebounds and one block in nine minutes.

She ranks fourth in the Mountain West Conference standings with 1.2 blocks per game. Kast has swatted six shots, including four against Georgia Southern, in five appearances so far this season.

Georgia Southern and Siena were cupcakes compared to nationally-ranked foes like Texas and Arizona State. Still, Kast says it takes baby steps for rookies to earn Flanagan's trust.

"I was just glad I had a chance to play so much against them," she said.

Senior Julie Briody, who knows all too well how hard it can be adjusting to Flanagan's style of play, said she has seen Kast step up her game.

"We did get on her because she wasn't boxing out and letting little people get her rebounds," Briody said. "But instead of getting mad, she really listened and has been working hard. I think she's still got work to do, but you can tell she's willing to do it and is going to help us out a lot."

Although Kast looks like she'd be a natural bruiser, she is still working on adding more bite to a relatively finesse game.

"It's amazing how much they push and shove underneath the basket in college," she said. "Nothing prepares you for that. I am just learning to push back. I figure that I have a body like this for a reason. I may as well use it."

Flanagan said he loves Kast's soft touch around the basket but teased her about an errant 3-pointer she took against Siena.

He called it a curve ball.

Kast was quick to defend her long-range bomb.

"He knows I can make that and just wants to keep me humble," she said. "I make shots like that all the time. I wouldn't take it if I couldn't make it. I just rushed it."

She admits she was feeling a little too much Pit adrenaline to be accurate.

Kast has been startled but thrilled to hear the crowd roar with approval every time she sets foot on the court.

Fans are delighted when she checks into the game and go crazy any time she scores, grabs a rebound, blocks a shot or plays good defense.

"Oh my goodness, they are crazy, but it is awesome to play in front of them," she said. "They are scary good."

The support and her positive experience against Siena has boosted Kast's confidence.

It also has helped one of the tougher lessons of her budding college career go down a little easier.

"I have to be patient," she said. "Getting to play so much in our last game pushed me to work harder but also reminded me what I get if I challenge myself.

"I want to feel that way again."