Several years from now, Jen Oyler may save lives in many different ways. In the meantime, she is content helping her teammates defeat the opposition in as many different ways.
Oyler, the daughter of two lawyers, prefers another profession. The Saint Joseph's sophomore is eyeing a career in medicine, and so far she is well on her way. Her average of 10.4 points per game, meanwhile, indicates that she is also well on her way to basketball stardom.
At 6-foot-1, Oyler is one of the taller guards in women's hoops. But her coach, Cindy Griffin, said that a different position would not suit her well.
"She is a three-point shooter, she's shooting off the dribble a bit more, she handles the ball pretty well," Griffin said. "She's more of a guard than she is a back-to-the-basket, power-block, drop-step kind of kid."
She played in all 30 games as a rookie - although she did not start any - averaging 6.9 points and two rebounds per game. Those numbers were good enough to earn her Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team Honors.
Oyler is not the type to bask in her glory, though. "She's dedicated and committed to making herself better," Griffin said.
As a result, she has been even better this season. She trails only senior Ayahna Cornish in scoring, with 15.6 per game.
For a period in the middle of the season, she struggled mightily. She managed just 24 points over a four-game span, and ultimately lost her starting spot.
On her twentieth birthday, however, she regained her earlier touch, putting up 16 points in just 24 minutes. Since then, she has started every game and averaged over 14 points.
An incredible 68.9 percent of her points have come from behind the arc. Her 2.39 three-pointers per game are best in the A-10, and she is also the ninth-most accurate three-point shooter in the conference.
"It's her teammates' job to get her shots," Griffin said. "She is a very talented, very gifted player."
"Oyles," as she is known to her fellow Hawks, is not just a one-dimensional player, however. Even though she has become a three-point machine, she has also put her height to good use.
Only Erica Pollock, also 6-1, has more blocks, and Oyler ranks third on the Hawks in rebounding.
"Her basketball IQ is starting to catch up to her academic IQ," Griffin said.
"She's more confident, she understands what we're trying to do as a team, what a good shot is, what isn't a good shot. She's understanding what her strengths and weaknesses are, and I think that's just part of the maturation process."
In just her sophomore year, Oyler has emerged as a top A-10 player.
"It's up to her," Griffin said. Just like a doctor, she knows she has much more to learn.
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