Although the Wisconsin women's basketball team has not quite met their preseason expectations, they have gotten production from some of their younger players, like freshman point guard Alyssa Karel.
In her first season playing college basketball, Karel has earned a spot in Lisa Stone's rotation and given the team a one-two punch at the lead guard spot. She backs-up sophomore guard Rea Lin D'Alie and plays 16.3 minutes per game.
[Karel and I] help each other out, we complement each other. We're kind of different, so I think that's a good thing,"" D'Alie said. ""Coach is always like 'We'll put her in for different looks and stuff.' And I think it really helps when one of us isn't playing well and the other just hops in and kind of just doesn't skip a beat.""
Karel started playing basketball before she entered grade school partially because of the fact that her father was a coach. She described herself as always being around the game and as part of ""a really big basketball family.""
She attended Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul, Minn., a high school known for its athletic programs. Cretin-Derham has produced five NFL players and two MLB players, including Hall of Famer Paul Moliter.
Karel was a starter all four seasons in high school and earned all-state and Minnesota defensive player of the year honors from the AP and St. Paul Pioneer Press her senior year. That year she averaged 19.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 5.6 steals per game.
""Coming in my ninth grade year I got really lucky because the starting point guard was actually just graduating,"" Karel said ""The spot was wide open and they needed somebody, and there wasn't really anybody above me that really played the position. So luckily I was able to just step in right away for them.""
AAU ball was another avenue Karel took in her basketball career, and it led to her meeting friend and current Badger teammate, freshman forward Tara Steinbauer. They played together for four seasons on North Tartan, an AAU team.
""I remember the first time we played her. She was on this no-name team. We went in thinking like 'Oh, we are going to whoop this team,'"" Steinbauer said. ""She just kept her team in it and that's how she's always been. She's always been one of those players who, rain or shine, she keeps her team in it.""
Soon after, Steinbauer's team needed an extra player to go to nationals and remembered the point guard from a ""no-name team"" who had almost beaten them single-handedly.
Karel also was a National Honor Society member and 4.0 student in high school.
The transition to college, however, was not as smooth as it could have been because Karel came to campus early to begin working out and playing with the team.
""Because it's your senior summer, I wasn't really that excited to come here with people I didn't really even know,"" Karel said. ""The summer after senior year is kind of a time to wind down with your friends, kind of your last goodbye. As bummed as I was that I had to leave early, coming here, within a few weeks of being here it was kind of like where I wanted to be and it kind of molded into my home.""
She also credits having Steinbauer as a friend in helping her get used to the college atmosphere.
""Just having [Steinbauer] around when stuff gets tough and when stuff is hard and we're all really stressed and school and anything, it's really nice to just have her here, someone to lean on,"" Karel said.
""We know when each other's down and so we kind of feed off that and we're always just there for each other.""
Having both Karel and D'Alie on the team allows for a slight contrast of styles in terms of point guard play. Karel attacks and looks to score more then D'Alie, who generally is more focused on controlling tempo. What both players can agree on is a desire to push the tempo and create transition opportunities. Stone sometimes puts both on the court at the same time, a lineup that infuses a lot of speed into the game and was described by D'Alie as ""fierce.""
Karel also likes to throw her passes with a little more flair than the simple workman-like dishes tossed out by D'Alie.
""I played with boys a lot when I was younger, my brothers all played,"" Karel said. ""Just being smaller I think sometimes it's hard to kind of muscle up the pass so it's just kind of something I've grown up kind of doing.""
No matter how she plays on the court, however, Karel creates a sense of confidence and loyalty for her teammates.
""I definitely consider her my best friend. She knows me more personally than anybody else on this team,"" Steinbauer said. ""She's one of those people who is always going to be there to support me whether it be in basketball or whether it be in school or in life.""
