Player Profile - Wendy Okeson
2/6/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 6, 2001
By Amy Fiscus
Athletic Media Relations Student Assistant
Entering her senior year at Weskan High School (Kan.), Wendy Okeson was no different than most students trying to make the right decisions to help her accomplish her academic goals on the college level. Okeson, however, also had to weigh the task of choosing a school that would help her develop athletically.
A four-year all-state standout in both volleyball and basketball, Okeson decided on Barton Community College in Kansas where she decided to further her volleyball career. Those plans came to a sudden end when Okeson tore the rotator cuff on her hitting shoulder toward the end of her senior season. After surgery to repair the ligament, doctors told her she would never be able to play volleyball again.
"I had no idea what to do," said Okeson. "I was just going to go to school, then the basketball coach called me and asked me if I wanted to play."
That injury may have been the best thing that could have happened to Okeson. She exploded onto the junior college scene, averaging seventeen points and nine rebounds per game her first season on her way to Jayhawk West conference co-Player of the Year honors. She was also named a National Junior College Athletic Association and Kodak All-American.
The success was nothing new to Okeson, however. She was a two-time state player of the year in volleyball, in addition to winning two state championships and two other top-three finishes. Her senior basketball campaign resulted in a 26-2 record, Wendy herself contributed 22 points and almost seven assists per contest.
Despite maintaining this course at Barton, Okeson found the transition from high school to college basketball to be one of the most difficult she ever faced. "In high school, you're just out there running around. Not everyone takes it that seriously," she explains. "College is more intense, the coaches are more concerned." Most of the work at Barton was centered on offense, which paid off in Okeson's second All-America team after her sophomore year. She was also named Region XI Player of the Year and led Barton to a fifth-place finish at the NJCAA tournament.
"Nationals were really fun," Okeson recalls. "When we were there it didn't seem like the national tournament. We went there to have fun and that kind of helped us out. We cared but we were relaxed. It was the first time the junior college had been there in a while so it was a good experience for everyone involved."
While at Barton, Okeson was recruited by several Division I schools, including Big 12 opponents Nebraska and Texas A&M. She chose Missouri for its family atmosphere. "When I came to visit, Natalie (Bright) was my host," said Okeson. "We went and hung out with some of the other girls and it was really fun. I liked the campus, it's really cool. I felt like I fit in here. The players and coaches were all really nice and it seemed like everyone got along."
At the head of that family sits Head Coach Cindy Stein. "She has helped me out a lot," said the 5'10" junior. "(She probably doesn't know that but she's helped me with my game.) She makes me concentrate more on what I need to do and then go out there and do it." Okeson also credits Associate Head Coach Lee Ann Riley with helping her make the adjustment to major college basketball. "Coach Riley takes the game at a different level. She looks at things in a different way. She's like one of us, she's always enthusiastic. She's someone that I know I can go and talk to whenever I need anything."
Okeson is also quick to commend her parents and the role they have played in her success. "They supported me all through junior college. They were at all my high school games and most of my junior college games. Now, they call all the time to see how we're doing."
Not all of her relatives were enthused to see Okeson come to MU, though. As a Kansas native, Okeson has experienced the MU-KU rivalry firsthand. "I have an aunt and uncle that live in Kansas City and are huge KU fans," she says. "When they found out I was coming to MU, they said, 'We're not going to cheer for you.' I said, 'you don't have to cheer for Missouri, just cheer for me.' The rest of my family was just concerned because it's so far away from home (Weskan is an eight hour drive from Columbia)."
Fortunately for the rest of her family, Wendy has adjusted well. She has played in all of MU's games so far this season scoring career-high seven points against both Kentucky and Lipscomb. Okeson also helped the Tigers log their first 100 percent free throw game when she netted three-for-three from the penalty line against the Wildcats.
Though basketball may not have been her first choice, the roundabout path Okeson has taken to the Missouri hardwood is looking to be the right one.
