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The Tribune handed the mike to University of New Mexico freshman guard Christian Shelter, and here's what she had to say:

I was in the sixth grade, and I always would go outside to play basketball with my dad. I decided to try out for a team and I made it. I just kept playing because I loved it.

I played basketball and volleyball and ran track in high school. I used to play softball a little bit, but I didn't really like it. I played a lot of sports. I stuck with basketball because I ended up spending so much time working on it. And it became more fun to me because I had a good time on my AAU team. Now I love it and wouldn't want to play any other sport.

Of course, Michael Jordan was one of my favorite basketball players growing up, but I loved Tim Duncan, too, because I think he's such a smart player.

The toughest team I ever played was this AAU team we faced every summer and only beat them one time. They were called the Montgomery Heat. They had a 6-5 girl on their team who was a beast. We were always close, but we could only get by them once.

Coming to New Mexico from Alabama was kind of a weird decision. I was looking at Louisiana Tech and places closer to home, but my dad was always like, "Don't forget about New Mexico." I was like, "Yeah right, whatever." Then I came out to visit and really enjoyed it. I came last year for the last home game, so of course it was packed and a really good game. I enjoyed getting to know the girls here, too. They were great. So this never was in my plans, but I'm happy I'm here.

The toughest thing about coming here was getting used to the altitude. When we first started our summer workouts, I got so dizzy because I'm from sea level. I had an iron deficiency, so it was a really hard adjustment for me.

The defense here is really different. I'm used to denying the pass, but coach wants us to play ball defense and help each other out in different ways. It took awhile for me to get used to it, but I think I'm getting better at it.

The best moment for me so far this season has been watching us improve so much. It's been a little roller coaster, but I think we're on the fun part now.

I don't really do anything special before a game. I just try to take a nap.

I do get really nervous every time I go into a game. I try to just calm myself down. I talk to myself and encourage myself and pray. I pray to God to calm my nerves and give me peace.

My classes are going well even though we're really busy right now. I'm studying physical therapy, so I'm taking a biology class and that's the only thing that will go toward my degree.

I have been working on my shot for a long time. Camps and my dad really helped me out a lot. When I went to shooting camps, I tried really hard to do whatever they said to have the best form. And my dad made sure I kept that form all the time. I guess all that work helped give me a pretty good shot.

I listen to all kinds of music. I just cannot stand country. Eileen (Weissmann) rides with me and she always tries to slip in a little country. I'm OK with maybe one song and that's it.

When I was younger, I really liked the "Wizard of Oz" and now I also liked the movie "Love and Basketball." I really like comedies.

The only thing I can think about doing in my free time is sleeping. We're so busy right now, it feels like we're not getting enough sleep. Whenever we do have free time, I like to go out to eat with Eileen, Amy (Beggin) and some of the other players. We also just hang out in each other's dorm rooms. I really love to eat at the Olive Garden when we do go out.

It really does help to have so many girls in our freshman class. You always have someone to talk to when you need something. We're all adjusting and getting used to this together.