AMES – Freshman guard Reagan Wilson demonstrated her newfound confidence in the exhibition match against Central College, proving she deserves her place on the Iowa State women’s basketball team.
A recent graduate from Noblesville High School in Indiana, Wilson’s commitment to Iowa State was one of the two freshmen to join the Cyclones for their upcoming season.
“I am a freshman on a really, really good team,” Wilson said. “I’m super excited to be here and do what the team needs me to do to win.”
Wilson made her first appearance Wednesday night during the Cyclones exhibition game against Central College. She was an eye-catcher for the audience as her confident demeanor on the court demonstrated her readiness for the game.
“It was a great atmosphere and so fun playing in front of all those fans who support us,” Wilson said. “I just had the confidence of the world, my teammates and my coach had been installing confidence in me since the beginning of practice.”
Wilson’s demeanor did not sway the audience as she was incorporated into the first rotation along with freshman guard Aili Tanke and left the first quarter leading the team with six points and four rebounds.
“It was super exciting, especially with having another freshman out there,” Wilson said. “It feels nice to know that we both got out there for the first time and just experienced such a fun atmosphere.”
Although being a freshman, Wilson fought for playing time and left the court after playing a total of 21 minutes, making nine points, all from the 3-point arc. Along with the scoring, Wilson contributed a team-high two steals, with four assists and two rebounds.
“Honestly I was just going to do whatever the coaches needed me to do whether that was playing no minutes or all the minutes,” Wilson said.
During the game, Wilson played with a face mask on due to a nose fracture she suffered three to four weeks prior. The injury came from an elbow to the face during practice but showed no signs of taking a break as she walked back into practice minutes later to finish out the day.
“There was a little dent in my nose, so we thought we should probably go to the doctor and get it x-rayed. I kept my shoes in the gym just in case I had time to come back and get laced up,” Wilson said. “I got it x-rayed, got the results, and went right back to practice.”
Since the beginning of the off-season, the Cyclones had installed confidence in Wilson and have become great role models leading to her overall improvement as a player.
“The biggest thing is that the team has just been installing confidence in us since the beginning,” Wilson said. “Telling us that we can do it and that makes us believe even more that we can do it.”
Senior guard Emily Ryan has been a particular role model for Wilson as she had previously stepped back due to an injury and focused on providing her knowledge of the game.
“Having her to look up to, having her to pave the way for us, answering any questions we have, she is always the first one to answer,” Wilson said. “When I get subbed out, she is the first one to be like next time look for this, do this. So just having that extra voice for me has been awesome and just having extra eyes for me out there has been incredible.”
Head coach Bill Fennelly has seen improvement throughout practice from Wilson and has remarked on how she has become a great asset to the team.
“There’s something about people from Indiana, they love basketball, they grow up with it. She’s got a little bit of that in her and she does not back down from anyone,” Fennelly said. “If you break your nose and then come back 20 minutes later, you got to have a little toughness to you so she has been a great addition to the team.”
