University of Minnesota Athletics
Experience Counts: Junior Jamie Broback
1/19/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Most certainly, the Gold Country faithful remember last season, when Broback teamed with All-American and high-spirited Janel McCarville to give Minnesota not only one of the toughest post tandems in the nation, but one of the most entertaining as well.
This season, Broback, now a junior, takes on a different role. She has plenty of promise and talent as evidenced by the Big Ten Conference coaches voting her to the Preseason All-Big Ten team. However, for this Apple Valley native, it’s about the team.
“This year we’ve shown that it’s not going to be one person, like some might have thought coming into the season, but 16 players ready to step up,” said Broback. “It’s not going to be one consistent person leading the team. My role on this team is to be a leader on the court, show it by my hard work and be a go-to player.”
The 10 Gopher games already in the books this season prove her point well. Five different players have stepped forward to lead the team in scoring during a game. Broback, is Minnesota’s leading scorer, averaging 12.5 points per game, and has garnered game honors twice.
Beyond the scoring, however, Broback has become a solid all-around player for the Gophers. She runs the court well, is a good passer and leads the team in rebounding. But perhaps one of her greatest attributes that benefits the team the most is something she picked up from playing with McCarville. It’s an air of confidence, a swagger if you will.
“Everyone caught on to Janel’s confident swagger,” said Broback. “We still need that even though she’s not here. When we step on the court, we need to have that swagger that says we are the team to beat.”
You can see it in Broback’s game. You see it as she chest-bumps senior Christina Collison as they complete warm-ups prior to a game. You can see it when play is rough and rugged in the paint. You can see it by the smirk on her face when she grabs a speed cut on the baseline and banks home a big basket.
Gopher fans can also see that a new dynamic duo is coming of age in the low post, the tandem of Broback and fellow junior Liz Podominick.
“Janel took pressure off me,” says Broback. “There would be double and triple teams on her and it gave other players like myself the chance to get open. Obviously we’re a different team this year, but Liz is stepping up and showing she can be that player because she can be so effective on the block.”
Assistant coach Dave Stromme, who coaches the post players, is impressed by what he has seen so far.
“Jamie and Liz are really coming together as a tandem for us in the low post,” said Stromme. “They are both physical players, yet compliment each other well. As the season goes on, I believe they will become an even more dangerous duo.”
Both Broback and Podominick are in their third season with the Gophers, and are counted among an extensive core of upperclassmen who have competed in three Sweet 16s and a Final Four. Broback thinks this experience will be key as Minnesota chases one of the season’s biggest goals, a Big Ten title.
“My freshman year, we went to the Final Four but lost early in the Big Ten Tournament. Last year, we got to the Big Ten championship game. This year we want to win a Big Ten title. We’ve gained experience in what it takes to win a Big Ten championship.
“That freshman year I had really had no idea. Now we know what it takes. Every day in practice when we’re doing a killer or defensive drills, we know why we are doing them. It’s going to take the mind set that this is why we are working so hard because it’s our goal to be Big Ten champs. That will carry over to postseason as well since the Big Ten is such a tough conference.”
Statements such as that would lead you to believe that basketball is all business to Broback. Basketball is important, but this self-proclaimed prankster of the team loves all that goes with being on a team. She will proudly display the tattoos of bruises as battle scars, whether they were inflicted by a teammate, scout team player or opponent. Broback enjoys joking around with her teammates off the court, in the locker room or even as a lead singer as the Gophers pass the time on a broken down team bus.
Broback sees another of her roles as being the relaxed, happy-go-lucky type of player on the squad. “There have been practices when Juicy (Lauren Lacey) and I got into it on the court but afterward in the locker room we were laughing about it. That’s exactly what you need. There’s no need for unnecessary drama. Your teammates should be there for you to help you out in the stressful times.”
Broback found that out earlier this season when she took a short leave of absence from the team for personal reasons. She returned with a renewed commitment to the team and with a spirit that displays her love for the game of basketball.
Only time will tell what memories Broback and her teammates will provide us this season. It is certain, however, that it will be a memorable trip. Fans of the Golden Gopher women’s basketball program may recall an early memory of then-freshman forward Jamie Broback dating to the 2004 Final Four game against Connecticut when she came off the bench to help charge a Minnesota second-half comeback. She played sparingly that season, but her late-season emergence bore great hope for the future.
Most certainly, the Gold Country faithful remember last season, when Broback teamed with All-American and high-spirited Janel McCarville to give Minnesota not only one of the toughest post tandems in the nation, but one of the most entertaining as well.
This season, Broback, now a junior, takes on a different role. She has plenty of promise and talent as evidenced by the Big Ten Conference coaches voting her to the Preseason All-Big Ten team. However, for this Apple Valley native, it’s about the team.
“This year we’ve shown that it’s not going to be one person, like some might have thought coming into the season, but 16 players ready to step up,” said Broback. “It’s not going to be one consistent person leading the team. My role on this team is to be a leader on the court, show it by my hard work and be a go-to player.”
The 10 Gopher games already in the books this season prove her point well. Five different players have stepped forward to lead the team in scoring during a game. Broback, is Minnesota’s leading scorer, averaging 12.5 points per game, and has garnered game honors twice.
Beyond the scoring, however, Broback has become a solid all-around player for the Gophers. She runs the court well, is a good passer and leads the team in rebounding. But perhaps one of her greatest attributes that benefits the team the most is something she picked up from playing with McCarville. It’s an air of confidence, a swagger if you will.
“Everyone caught on to Janel’s confident swagger,” said Broback. “We still need that even though she’s not here. When we step on the court, we need to have that swagger that says we are the team to beat.”
You can see it in Broback’s game. You see it as she chest-bumps senior Christina Collison as they complete warm-ups prior to a game. You can see it when play is rough and rugged in the paint. You can see it by the smirk on her face when she grabs a speed cut on the baseline and banks home a big basket.
Gopher fans can also see that a new dynamic duo is coming of age in the low post, the tandem of Broback and fellow junior Liz Podominick.
“Janel took pressure off me,” says Broback. “There would be double and triple teams on her and it gave other players like myself the chance to get open. Obviously we’re a different team this year, but Liz is stepping up and showing she can be that player because she can be so effective on the block.”
Assistant coach Dave Stromme, who coaches the post players, is impressed by what he has seen so far.
“Jamie and Liz are really coming together as a tandem for us in the low post,” said Stromme. “They are both physical players, yet compliment each other well. As the season goes on, I believe they will become an even more dangerous duo.”
Both Broback and Podominick are in their third season with the Gophers, and are counted among an extensive core of upperclassmen who have competed in three Sweet 16s and a Final Four. Broback thinks this experience will be key as Minnesota chases one of the season’s biggest goals, a Big Ten title.
“My freshman year, we went to the Final Four but lost early in the Big Ten Tournament. Last year, we got to the Big Ten championship game. This year we want to win a Big Ten title. We’ve gained experience in what it takes to win a Big Ten championship.
“That freshman year I had really had no idea. Now we know what it takes. Every day in practice when we’re doing a killer or defensive drills, we know why we are doing them. It’s going to take the mind set that this is why we are working so hard because it’s our goal to be Big Ten champs. That will carry over to postseason as well since the Big Ten is such a tough conference.”
Statements such as that would lead you to believe that basketball is all business to Broback. Basketball is important, but this self-proclaimed prankster of the team loves all that goes with being on a team. She will proudly display the tattoos of bruises as battle scars, whether they were inflicted by a teammate, scout team player or opponent. Broback enjoys joking around with her teammates off the court, in the locker room or even as a lead singer as the Gophers pass the time on a broken down team bus.
Broback sees another of her roles as being the relaxed, happy-go-lucky type of player on the squad. “There have been practices when Juicy (Lauren Lacey) and I got into it on the court but afterward in the locker room we were laughing about it. That’s exactly what you need. There’s no need for unnecessary drama. Your teammates should be there for you to help you out in the stressful times.”
Broback found that out earlier this season when she took a short leave of absence from the team for personal reasons. She returned with a renewed commitment to the team and with a spirit that displays her love for the game of basketball.
Only time will tell what memories Broback and her teammates will provide us this season. It is certain, however, that it will be a memorable trip.
