Jessie Stomski must be a tough person to shop for.
After all, in this season of making wish lists, what does one get for a physically talented team tri-captain who already has post-season tournament appearances'including a Women's National Invitation Tournament title, athletic and academic all-conference honors, all-American recognition, team and tournament Most Valuable Player honors, and, most recently, preseason Big Ten Player of the Year honors?
For Stomski, the answer is simple: a Big Ten Championship.
\The pre-season awards are really big honors, but they're going to mean something to me if we finish at the top of the Big Ten,"" Stomski said.
Team victories validate Stomski's personal accolades, like her tournament MVP performance that led UW to victory in the Time Warner Cable Classic at Nebraska in the 1999-2000 season.
Leading, of course, is nothing new to a captain, and Stomski is no exception. As someone who believes that athletics help groom leadership ability, Stomski's numerous youth sports experiences, including playing four sports in high school, helped build her athletic and leadership abilities. Basketball, always a part of her repertoire, became a focal point during junior high school, and Stomski became a highly praised offensive threat at center before being courted by college basketball programs from around the nation.
UW attracted Stomski with its facilities, its proximity to her native Oakdale, Minn., and its women's basketball coach, Jane Albright.
""The person [Albright] presented in the recruiting process is the person she really is. I think that's a rare quality when it comes to recruiting,"" Stomski said.
As a Badger, Stomski continued to show her offensive talent, garnering Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors and all-Big Ten recognition from the media and conference coaches for the 1998-'99 season.
During her sophomore year, Stomski earned spots on two all-tournament teams, including the tournament MVP award, repeated with all-Big Ten recognition. She was also second in team scoring for the eventual WNIT champion.
As a junior, Stomski led the Badgers in scoring and rebounding, notched first-team all-Big Ten honors, became the fourth UW woman to claim Kodak all-American honors, and, perhaps most significantly for her, earned the team MVP award while helping lead the Badgers to a second-place conference finish and a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Stomski appears eager to reprise her past roles on the team, currently leading Badgerball in scoring and rebounding, averaging 19.3 points per game and 9.8 rebounds per game. She likes the potential of this team, believing the team's chemistry and work ethic could be the harbingers of a successful regular and postseason run.
Even with the tremendous leadership Stomski has established, her leadership continues to evolve on this team. Despite being designated a tri-captain, Stomski feels all of her fellow players influence her just as she impacts them.
""I try to take something from all of my teammates,"" Stomski said. ""I think that everyone has leadership qualities, and being a captain doesn't mean that you are the top three leaders on the team.""
Stomski's ear-to-the-ground mentality should not deceive people, however. Her approach to being tri-captain works for her and the Badgers, as evident by the team's cohesiveness, the statistics of Stomski's season and career andAlbright's feelings about her.
Where Albright is concerned, a feature of Stomski that Albright finds especially pleasing is her commitment to physical conditioning. Albright notices that this conditioning imparts additional benefits on Stomski's other abilities.
""Mentally, physically and emotionally, I think she's on top of everything,"" Albright said.
Considering this individual improvement and her past achievement, Albright finds Stomski's preseason accolades more than warranted.
""I think Jessie will have one of the best years any athlete has ever had at the University of Wisconsin,"" Albright said. ""We've never had someone picked pre-season Player of the Year as long as the basketball team's been in existence, and we've had some great players here.""
So far, Jessie Stomski's college basketball wish list has been fulfilled. Individual esteem and a solid supporting cast of teammates and coaches have already come her way. Only one item'a Big Ten title'still waits to be crossed off.
