Coach Emme’s College Athlete Journey
3.5 Minute read
By: Andrea Aruino
Being a student athlete is no easy job. It takes a different type of passion, commitment, and willingness to dedicate your time and energy to a sport day in and day out. Tackling this type of journey is not foreign to our newest Player and Development Intern, Emme Eisenman! She’s experienced the toughness of traveling to play a game with an assignment due that same night, something that all student athletes face more often than not. One might think Eisenman mastered the art of being a student athlete but that is something she had to learn how to work around by trusting her community and herself.
Eisenman has recently graduated from the University of Puget Sound, where she played basketball all four years. Although her story dates back to her childhood, which began in Davis California. Basketball has been a part of Eiseman’s DNA since forever, as she and her father were looking for opportunities to get her more involved in basketball, they quickly found out that there were no girls teams for young girls like her. This didn’t stop her as she wasn’t hesitant to join an all boys team from 4th to 5th grade. After two years of playing against boys, she had discovered West Coast Impact, where she joined her first girls team that she continued to play on until her senior year of high school. As she progressed through her basketball year, senior year came quickly and there were rarely thoughts of wanting to pursue basketball outside of high school.
Although the idea of playing basketball post-high school wasn’t a serious thought in her mind, it was to many coaches who saw the potential in her to grow even more at the collegiate level. As she started to get recruited, Puget Sound and their coach, Cacy Kushiyama, presented an opportunity she wouldn’t want to pass up. Attending a college that was over a 12-hour drive away from all the family, friends, and places she’s ever known was an adjustment Eisenman had to adapt to almost instantaneously.
It was no surprise that she had to face the challenges of entering an entirely new environment, but some obstacles faced were beyond her imagination. Despite these circumstances, Eisenman found support through her teammates and coaches throughout this journey of navigating life as a college athlete. A strategy that she encourages all players to tap into as it got her through her education but also as a basketball player.
“There was a lot of support for each other, especially outside of basketball which I found to be even more important. We prioritized getting to know each other and everyone here is playing for each other, and you could tell we were all just so close, which is something I loved about the team,” Eisenman said.
All of these pivotal moments have been learning opportunities for her as someone who wants to be a role model and mentor to those who want to become better basketball players. In college, Eisenman studied Psychology which is something that she wants to integrate into her own coaching style as the mind plays a big part in one’s game. She struggled with the mental side as someone who came in her freshman year having to sit on the sidelines for most games. It was after her freshman year of college that she began training at UPB, and this experience ultimately gave her the motivation to continue focusing on what she could control.
“When I first worked with Coach Packie, I was at a point where I was doubting myself a lot but he gave me various strategies to overcome this mindset. It was hard not to think about the little playing time I received, but he constantly reminded me of how I got to the point I was at during that time. With that, I stayed ready and knew that when I was called into the game, I had what it took to help the team win,” Eisenman said.
Training at UPB was a critical point in her life, which inspired her to go in the direction of coaching other players. As a psychology major, Eisenman is most interested in how she can merge her love for basketball as well as her knowledge on how thinking affects our actions. There’s no doubt that the mind has the power to shift our experiences and that’s something she wants to emphasize to the young athletes she works with.
“Being able to instill confidence in players creates a foundation enough to make them resilient, take feedback, and criticism a lot better. The mental aspect of the game should be taught early on and I believe in creating good habits that set them up for success,” Eisenman said.
She has been playing basketball her whole life and wishes to continue working on her skills and helping others develop theirs. Help us in giving a warm welcome to our newest Emme, who is ready to create an environment full of fun but also challenge players into growing to become the best version of themselves!
