University of Minnesota Athletics
Liz Podominick: Adjusting to College Basketball
1/27/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The list of achievements that follow the name Liz Podominick is about as impressive as it gets for a person at this stage of her basketball career. She is only at the beginning of her college career, and looks to add to her list of honors and accomplishments during her years with the Gophers. Her list of achievements has been accumulating for a several years now, and includes participating in several high school All-America games, with the highly acclaimed McDonald's High School All-American game at the top of the list. Podominick also led the Panthers of Lakeville High School to consecutive state championships in 2001 and 2002, with an undefeated mark of 29-0 in 2002.
"I would say that the most memorable achievement was winning the back to back state championships, especially going undefeated in 2002," she said. "As far as individual achievements go, I would say that the All- American games were fun, but no individual honor compares to that of my team achievements."
As well as being a star on the basketball court, Podominick also has an impressive list of achievements in track and field. She is a nine-time all-state performer in track, and holds Minnesota's state records in the shot put and the discus. This do-it-all freshman will see a lot of court time for the Maroon and Gold.
Making the transition from high school to college is difficult for many, but Podominick has seemed to pick it up just fine. Her personality, as well as being such a versatile athlete, make her a wonderful addition to the talented Golden Gopher team. She has gone from being the best high school basketball player in the state to being one of many talented players on a highly-ranked team.
"At first, I kind of felt like I was in kindergarten all over again," she confesses, "But now I have gotten used to it and I think that it was a good transition."
A player cannot make a successful transition from high school to college without a cast of supporting people who help make the transition smooth. Podominick's teammates have been especially helpful this season, and she has nothing but praise for the women she's played with and learned from in her young college career. "There is not one individual, but all of my teammates have been great," she explains. "Lindsay (Whalen) is great for coming up to me and telling me to make sure to do this or that. Shaq (Janel McCarville) is a great person to just watch and learn from. Kadi (Kadidja Andersson) is the type of teammate who knows the answer to every question. Christina (Collison) has always been very encouraging."
Since Podominick had many high-level basketball experiences before becoming a Golden Gopher, she was perhaps better prepared for the transition to college than the average freshman. Her AAU playing experience, as well as the All-American games that she participated in, have given her an extra advantage. "The McDonald's All-America game was definitely a lot of fun, but was also beneficial because I got to play with the best players in the nation," she said. "I think the AAU team helped me the most because I got to play against some very good competition. It was also great when we won nationals last year."
Podominick played varsity basketball at Lakeville High School starting in eighth grade, and has always been one of the most talented players on her team. She didn't have to come off the bench often during her high school career, but she has accepted the role early in her first season with the Gophers "I really like coming off the bench right now," she said, "It gives me a chance to see what our opponent is doing, so I can enter the game and improve our team defense as well and other things I notice from the bench."
Podominick has stepped into games this year and made her presence felt. Against South Carolina on January 3, she came off the bench and played a crucial 25 minutes to help the Gophers remain undefeated. She has played impressive defense down the stretch during many games this season, and has come up with many timely blocks and rebounds. "We are playing very well right now," she said, "I am excited about the next few years here at the University of Minnesota."
Story written by media relations intern Ryan Brokaw. He welcomes comments at gophers@umn.edu. For Liz Podominick, basketball started at an early age. "In fourth grade, my parents forced me try out for basketball in the Lakeville in- house program," she explained. At first she was shy and a little scared, but that didn't last long. Within a few weeks, she had already developed a love for the game, and had to encourage her parents to take her to practice. From that point on, Podominick has put in a lot of hard work and has shown great determination to reach the level she is at now.
The list of achievements that follow the name Liz Podominick is about as impressive as it gets for a person at this stage of her basketball career. She is only at the beginning of her college career, and looks to add to her list of honors and accomplishments during her years with the Gophers. Her list of achievements has been accumulating for a several years now, and includes participating in several high school All-America games, with the highly acclaimed McDonald's High School All-American game at the top of the list. Podominick also led the Panthers of Lakeville High School to consecutive state championships in 2001 and 2002, with an undefeated mark of 29-0 in 2002.
"I would say that the most memorable achievement was winning the back to back state championships, especially going undefeated in 2002," she said. "As far as individual achievements go, I would say that the All- American games were fun, but no individual honor compares to that of my team achievements."
As well as being a star on the basketball court, Podominick also has an impressive list of achievements in track and field. She is a nine-time all-state performer in track, and holds Minnesota's state records in the shot put and the discus. This do-it-all freshman will see a lot of court time for the Maroon and Gold.
Making the transition from high school to college is difficult for many, but Podominick has seemed to pick it up just fine. Her personality, as well as being such a versatile athlete, make her a wonderful addition to the talented Golden Gopher team. She has gone from being the best high school basketball player in the state to being one of many talented players on a highly-ranked team.
"At first, I kind of felt like I was in kindergarten all over again," she confesses, "But now I have gotten used to it and I think that it was a good transition."
A player cannot make a successful transition from high school to college without a cast of supporting people who help make the transition smooth. Podominick's teammates have been especially helpful this season, and she has nothing but praise for the women she's played with and learned from in her young college career. "There is not one individual, but all of my teammates have been great," she explains. "Lindsay (Whalen) is great for coming up to me and telling me to make sure to do this or that. Shaq (Janel McCarville) is a great person to just watch and learn from. Kadi (Kadidja Andersson) is the type of teammate who knows the answer to every question. Christina (Collison) has always been very encouraging."
Since Podominick had many high-level basketball experiences before becoming a Golden Gopher, she was perhaps better prepared for the transition to college than the average freshman. Her AAU playing experience, as well as the All-American games that she participated in, have given her an extra advantage. "The McDonald's All-America game was definitely a lot of fun, but was also beneficial because I got to play with the best players in the nation," she said. "I think the AAU team helped me the most because I got to play against some very good competition. It was also great when we won nationals last year."
Podominick played varsity basketball at Lakeville High School starting in eighth grade, and has always been one of the most talented players on her team. She didn't have to come off the bench often during her high school career, but she has accepted the role early in her first season with the Gophers "I really like coming off the bench right now," she said, "It gives me a chance to see what our opponent is doing, so I can enter the game and improve our team defense as well and other things I notice from the bench."
Podominick has stepped into games this year and made her presence felt. Against South Carolina on January 3, she came off the bench and played a crucial 25 minutes to help the Gophers remain undefeated. She has played impressive defense down the stretch during many games this season, and has come up with many timely blocks and rebounds. "We are playing very well right now," she said, "I am excited about the next few years here at the University of Minnesota."
Story written by media relations intern Ryan Brokaw. He welcomes comments at gophers@umn.edu.
