The Garden City Telegram
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Finding her way
Published 1/15/2008 in None : GCCC
By MIKE KESSINGER
mkessinger@gctelegram.com
As the Garden City Community College women's basketball team walked off the court at the end of practice Monday, Katie Novack stayed on the court. She picked up a basketball and from the right corner buried a 3-pointer.
It could be called "The Novack special."
Through the Lady Broncbusters 17 games, she's found a knack to shoot from behind the arc, and for the most part, has had success doing it. Of course, that's nothing new to Novack, who starred at Holcomb High School before coming to GCCC.
"It's a lot more faster pace than what I thought it would be," Novack said. "I went and practiced with my (high school) team during break, and it amazes me how much slower that game is."
Novack has adjusted to the college game relatively quickly, though, and the Lady Busters have benefitted from it.
Novack is the team's leading scorer at 12.7 points a game, and she has hit 30 3-pointers.
"I was looking at a few other schools, and I came here to look and I just like this place better and I knew a lot more people," Novack said. "I like to be around people I know, and Garden City's facilities are a lot nicer than the one's I went and visited."
It doesn't hurt either that she knows the court at Perryman Athletic Complex pretty well. A member of the Hi-Plains League, the Lady Longhorns played several league tournament games there during her career.
Something else Novack has been able to adjust to is having former Holcomb teammate Trista Schmitt running the court with her. As a senior and junior in high school, respectively, the two usually would share the high-scorer role. An injury kept Schmitt out all season last year, but after redshirting a year, she has helped Novack and the rest of the team pick up two conference wins this season in four games. That's one more conference win than the Lady Busters managed in total wins a season ago.
"It's nice to have someone you know and has been here for a year and can tell you what to expect," Novack said of Schmitt. "It's just nice to know other people and not feel like you're the only person by yourself."
It has been a roller coaster ride of a first season for Novack, especially in conference play. She's felt the confident side, the feeling of being in a zone as she dropped in 27 points in the Broncbusters come-from-behind win at Butler. She was a perfect 4-for-4 from behind the 3-point line in that game.
She's also felt the opposite feeling. Saturday against Cloud County, Novack was a chilly 2-of-16 from the floor and hit just one 3-pointer against the No. 16 ranked Lady Thunderbirds.
It's all something Novack knew coming in she would have to get used to, and it's been one she's enjoyed. With her parents and sister at most of the Lady Busters' games, it's made it that much better.
"(My family) comes to all the games," Novack said. "They went to Oklahoma when we played there. They've been everywhere."
On Wednesday, Novack and her teammates may be facing their toughest challenge of the season to this point. Garden City will be at Barton County, which was ranked No. 3 in the nation before dropping its last two games. Tip-off will be at 6 p.m. in Great Bend.
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