Editor's Note: Back by popular demand. Coming off another historic
season which featured the program's record-14th consecutive regular
season Horizon League championship, as always there is a lot of
anticipation for the next season in Green Bay women's basketball. Every
Thursday throughout the summer, Assistant Director
of Athletics Communications Jill Wunrow will sit down with one player to talk
about the expectations they have for themselves for the upcoming season and
what fans can expect to see from them individually. This week we catch up with the lone sophomore on the roster, Megan Lukan.
Sophomore, Megan
Lukan (Barrie, Ontario, Canada), 5'7", G
You have your first
year of playing college basketball under your belt. What did you learn during
your freshman campaign that you will use to continue to grow?
"The biggest thing I
learned was keeping my composure. Watching some of the older players like
Hannah, Julie and even our juniors last year like Adrian, Lydia and Sarah and
how they keep their composure I noticed how they carry themselves. Players like
Julie hardly show any emotion and I think that really helped her along the way.
It's easy to play when you have a lot of emotions and are fired up but you also
need to be fired up when trying to battle back. The biggest thing I learned is
how to carry myself better, or at least be aware of my emotions when I'm
working out in summer sessions and making sure I'm always finding a way to push
through."
Is there anything you
are most looking forward to this season?
"I'm just excited to be
back playing and playing the game we love with my teammates."
What do you need to
improve on the most in order to be the player you want to be in the 2012-13
season?
"I'm looking to be more
of a threat on offense; I think that will help our team tremendously. I think
that I need to make sure I'm always looking to score and whether I'm taking the
shots or not, I need to be a threat in order to help the team. I don't need to
score 20 points a game or two points a game but I have to make sure I'm
aggressive and attack and hopefully that opens up other opportunities for my
teammates."
What is the biggest
challenge for you playing so far away from home? How often do you get the
opportunity to go home during the school year?
"The biggest challenge
is that my family is not always there. This year with my younger sister here it's
going to be a lot of different; I'll be able to turn to her right away. On the
flip side, she is also my teammate and I need to make sure I'm drawing that
line when we're on the court she's my teammate like everyone else."
"I get to go home for
Christmas break and maybe for a week when school ends and then for a short time
in August."
What have you seen from
Coach Borseth so far that has been refreshing and unexpected and how excited
are you to have him at Green Bay? Does it make you nervous having a new coach
after being here for two years learning from the coach that recruited you?
"It's great to see his
passion for the game. He really expresses it and it's great to see, which makes
us as players excited to play."
"I'm not as nervous
about our new coach now as much as I would have been maybe last year or even my
redshirt year because I was so focused on trying to prove myself to people. I
think now I'm in the mindset that I'm going to play the best basketball I can
play and if it's not good enough, I'm going to continue to work harder until it
is. I don't hold myself to the expectation now that I have to prove myself
because I know I can play well and will continue to work to do so."
How excited are you to have your
younger sister here at Green Bay as your teammate? How much does that help for homesickness
and the holidays?
"I'm very excited to have her here. I
understood when I made the commitment to come here that I was going to be far
away from home but I never pictured she (Kailli) would be coming here as well.
Now that she is here it's just great to have family here and bring up memories
from the past."
Last summer you went
home to Canada to play for the junior national team. This year, you're
obviously here in Green Bay. How much do you think that will help you when the
season starts and what are the benefits of being here with your teammates?
"I think building team
chemistry is important and summer provides the opportunity to do so. I like
being able to see firsthand how the younger players/freshman have been improving.
I'm still young too and need to prove myself and continue to work hard."
Should you have any
free time during the summer months, what do you typically spend your day doing?
"I like to relax and
play board games. Sometimes my sister and I will take on the Eichlers in Catch
Phrase, it gets pretty intense sometimes. In August my sisters and I are going
to go visit my dad and younger brothers."
Favorite ice cream or
summer treat and why?
"My favorite treat
would be a nutritious smoothie, like strawberry and banana with peanut butter."
