It can be tough for players to sit at the end of the rotation. Whether it is due to an injury, a redshirt season or simply because the rotation is too full of talent, some players don’t receive a lot of playing time throughout the season.
They spend hours practicing and improving, only to remain sidelined. Players can become discouraged and lose their motivation. Not Utah’s players, though.
Emily Twohig and McCall Phillips are two players stuck in this situation. They both have a plethora of players above them in the rotation, so they have not seen any game time throughout the season, yet they have both stayed positive and still constantly work on their game. When asked about how her team has helped her thus far in the season, Twohig responded with positive words for her teammates.
“We are working really hard this year, and it’s good to know that I’m playing on a team that is working really hard and is really good and competitive,” Twohig said. “It is great to be getting better and working with them.”
Twohig is a true freshman setter who has two prolific players playing above her in the rotation. Kendall Cygan and Jessie Jorgensen both handle Utah’s setting duties, leaving Twohig on the sideline during matches. Fittingly, Twohig looks up to Cygan as a mentor who has helped her work on her game from her spot off the court.
“I like to watch [Cygan],” Twohig said. “Just from watching her I feel like I’m learning things and getting better. She’s a really good leader.”
To have this kind of leadership from a fellow player is crucial for a freshman who doesn’t see game action. However, there is a need for internal motivation after enduring an entire season of sitting on the bench, and Phillips, a sophomore out of Las Vegas, knows this very well.
Phillips stays motivated by knowing she is getting better every day.
“I would say progression,” Philips said. “Being able to see improvement little by little. Also being able to support my teammates because I know that they have my back has helped me a lot.”
Phillips not only wants to improve her own game throughout the season. During her time off the court, she’s taken this as an opportunity to help out the entire team
“My main goal this year was to make sure I had a positive impact,” Phillips said. “When something happens on the court that [the players] can’t see, I have a good outside perspective so I can help the team in that way. In practices I watch what they do so I can do it when I play.”
Head coach Beth Launiere notices the effort that both Twohig and Phillips have put into improving their games.
“Their attitude is unbelievable, and they do whatever they can to help,” Launiere said. “I have a huge amount of respect for how hard they come to practice every single day. Sometimes they’re not even doing that much in practice, but they are always ready to go all the time and do whatever they can to help.”
There has undoubtedly been improvement with both of these players throughout the season. They are both young, skilled players who have made strides in their game through reps they receive in practice, and from learning from older, more experienced players on the team. Both Twohig and Phillips expect to be key parts of Utah’s future in the years to come.
“I see more playing [time],” Phillips said. “As I progress and the coaches coach me more, I get better and better. I see myself pushing the other girls and competing. That’s the name of the game.”
The haven’t seen the fruits of their efforts yet, but they will. With this kind of motivation, these players won’t be on the sidelines for much longer.
@Twelvegage96