All good things must come to an end.
When the final buzzer sounds at the Palestra on Tuesday evening, it will mark the end of the careers of three seniors for the women’s basketball team — Erin Power, Caroline Nicholson and Jerin Smith.
“These last three games are going to be very emotional,” Smith said. “I can’t believe my career is almost over.”
“It’s definitely bittersweet,” Power chimed in. “It’s been a very long season … and after playing for so many years, our bodies are certainly starting to feel the effects of playing this contact sport. But I’m definitely sad.”
Over the past four years, the team has been through many ups and downs, from a new head coach two years ago to the worst record in program history last season — and now to the best turnaround in school history.
“We’ve set a lot of records recently,” Smith quipped.
Looking ahead to their final three games, the trio have a few goals left that they would like to accomplish.
“I want to ruin Harvard’s season,” Nicholson said. If the Red and Blue defeat the Crimson on Friday night and Princeton beats Dartmouth — the Ivy’s seventh place team — Harvard is officially eliminated from title contention.
Smith said her main goal is to beat Princeton, since “they’re a powerhouse now.”
Even if the Quakers come up winless in their final three games, this season will still mark the highest win total during the seniors’ tenure.
The women agreed that the program really turned around when coach Mike McLaughlin took over last season.
“I think a fresh face and a new staff was good for the program,” Power said. “Coach [McLaughlin] is definitely more with the times … and how things have changed within the game.”
They all said they enjoyed McLaughlin’s practices, citing his ability to both have fun and get down to business. In fact, some of their fondest memories have been of their coach in practice.
“I love how sometimes you can look toward the other end of the court, and he’s doing some amazing basketball trick,” Smith said, alluding to skills he acquired during his playing days with the Washington Generals. “And he’s so modest about it.”
Power enjoyed how he was always able to lighten the mood.
“Practice can be tough, but there’s almost a moment in every practice where [he] will make a joke or imitate somebody’s performance … and we’re all just cracking up.”
McLaughlin has had such a positive influence on Power that she is considering a career in coaching after her playing days are done.
“I’ve toyed with the idea. My father is a high-school basketball coach, so I’ve been around the sport since I was little,” she said.
On the possibility of one day returning to coach on McLaughlin’s staff, Power was particularly enthusiastic. “I’m definitely keeping that option open,” she said. “He has so much knowledge about the game.”
Smith doesn’t see herself with a whistle anytime in the future, but she does want to work within the sports industry.
“I don’t think I’d be the best coach. My patience is really short,” she said with a grin.
Nicholson, unlike her classmates, is certainly not trying to turn basketball into a career, she said. “[It] will just be something fun that I can do every once in a while.”
On the court, their most memorable moment was their Big Five win against LaSalle.
“Every year at the Big Five banquet, we were the only team without any wins,” Power mused. “This year, that all changed.”
Others this season included beating Brown twice and a weekend sweep of Columbia and Cornell.
And although their time has come to an end, they are excited for the rest of their teammates and the direction in which the program is headed.
“This program is really going to take off,” Smith remarked. “The coaches are doing an excellent job getting the right girls ... I cannot wait to see the progression.”
Nicholson said she believes the team will continue to improve and that the sky is the limit.
“Next year or the year after, we could see another women’s basketball Ivy League banner,” she said.
If the team does manage to pull of an Ivy League title in the next few years, Power, Nicholson and Smith will certainly be thrilled to say that they helped build the foundations of their success.
Power said that all three will come back to take credit. “We’ll be able to say we laid the ground they walked on.”
