For a 19-year-old, freshman Renee Busch has seen a lot happen on the basketball court.
“One time, one of my teammates was defending an inbounds pass, and the ball went off her head and into the basket for a three,” Busch recalled.
While not all of her time playing has been as memorable as that particular possession, Busch’s experience was the driving force in her winning a starting position in her first year at Penn.
“She’s incredibly mature for her age,” coach Mike McLaughlin said. “She’s played at a pretty high level of basketball.”
McLaughlin was referring to Busch’s time on Great Britain’s U-20 national team, with whom she won the Division B European Championships in 2010.
She was also a member of the Sevenoaks Suns club. When they won the U-18 National Cup last year, she was named the most valuable player.
Her father, Len Busch, served as the coach of her club team.
“He definitely taught me to work harder,” Busch said. “It’s good to have that influence coming from home.”
His influence wasn’t limited to the basketball court. Both Len and Busch’s mother, May Chien, attended Harvard University.
“Education was definitely first for me,” Renee said.
Thus, Busch was led to Penn.
“I visited Harvard and Princeton in addition to Penn, but I just loved what Penn’s coaching staff had to offer,” Busch said.
McLaughlin was impressed by the steps Busch was willing to take to get better.
“We knew going in that she was a good worker,” McLaughlin said. “But she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get better.”
While that work ethic is ingrained in Busch’s personality, she’s going to have a learning curve. Despite her experience, both Busch and McLaughlin claimed that there is a difference between the American game and hoops overseas.
“Over here, everybody is looking to take charges,” Busch said. “During the first couple of practices, I know that I got caught charging a couple times.”
McLaughlin wasn’t worried about the steps Busch will need to take.
“She still has a long way to go, like you’d expect any freshman to have,” McLaughlin said. “She’s in great shape, strength-wise and condition-wise.”
Busch reflected on the area of her game that she needs to improve on the most.
“As a guard, I’m not naturally that quick, so I need to try and play smart to make up for that,” Busch said.
While not a finished product, “she’s willing to work at,” McLaughlin said.
