W
isconsin women���s basketball
coach Bobbie Kelsey can relate
to her lone senior, Tiera Stephen. Kelsey ended her Stanford playing career as the lone
scholarship player remaining in her recruiting
class.
���I came in with five but I went out by myself,������
said Kelsey, who also went out on crutches after
tearing her ACL. ���I know how Tiera feels being the
only one in that class; it���s kind of lonely, it is.������
Stephen will be honored following Thursday
night���s game against No. 20 Nebraska, and the
5-foot-7 point guard expects her family from Dayton, Ohio, to be well-represented at the Kohl Center.
���Mom, dad, sister and brother ��� I don���t know
how they���re getting here, but they���re getting here,������
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FEB R UA RY 28, 2013
Stephen said. ���That definitely means a lot. They���ve
been with me every step of the way.
���I appreciate my family so much and I���m thankful that they���ll be able to walk me out (during senior introductions) and get recognized as well.������
Taylor Wurtz is the other senior on the roster,
but she���s hoping to receive a medical redshirt because a back injury derailed her season after playing in just five games. Wurtz had surgery in early
January.
On top of that, Stephen���s original recruiting
class was at Louisville, not Wisconsin. After playing one season with the Cardinals, which included
a Final Four appearance in 2009, she transferred.
���When you get down to the end, it���s a little sad
and you wish you had someone who could share
those emotions with you,������ said Stephen, a starter
in 26 of 27 games this season.