KARNS CITY — When her freshman season on the Clarion University women's basketball team began, Emily Hegedus didn't feel like herself.

She wasn't playing like herself, either.

“I was timid,” Hegedus admitted. “I wasn't comfortable yet in my ability to play college basketball.”

At Karns City High School, Hegedus had no such concerns. She was relentless, fearless and aggressive.

Those immutable traits with the Gremlins over four years helped the 5-foot-9 guard break the school's scoring record with 1,735 points.

It also served her well during her senior season when she put the team on her back and carried it to the District 9 Class 3A title game.

Hegedus averaged 25.7 points, 12.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists in her final season. She was responsible for roughly 70 percent of the Gremlins' offense and was named Butler Eagle Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

But when she put on the Golden Eagles' uniform and stepped out onto the court against college players, doubts crept into her mind — probably for the first time in her life.

“In high school, some teams only had a few good players,” Hegedus said. “In college, every player is outstanding.”

Hegedus was passing up open shots. She wasn't driving to the hoop with abandon like she had at Karns City.

Clarion head women's basketball coach Jana Ashley, implored her to play like the Emily Hegedus they knew she could be.

Ashley had her eye on Hegedus for a long time and recruited her heavily. She just wanted Hegedus to play like her old self.

“The girl can play multiple positions and she's her school's all-time scoring leader,” Ashley said. “How can we go wrong?”

Finally, Hegedus got herself right.

She started the final nine games. After averaging just a shade more than 10 minutes per game during the first half of the season, Hegedus was a mainstay on the court in the second half.

She averaged 31 minutes per game — including a four-game stretch where she missed just two minutes of game action.

Hegedus was back.

“I don't know if it was a specific game, but I do know my coaches and teammates really helped me,” she said.

Now Hegedus is eager to build on her strong finish this winter with Clarion.

“I'm working hard this summer,” Hegedus said. “I know what I need to work on to improve.”

That's mostly the stuff between the ears.

“Most of it is being confident with myself and my ability,” Hegedus said. “Most of it is believing in myself.”

And shooting.

Lots and lots of shooting.

Hegedus was a slasher in high school. She could hit a jumper or a 3-pointer when she needed to hit one, but mostly she was able to get to the rim at will.

That's not the case at the Division II level.

Hegedus is trying to mold herself into a big threat no matter where she is on the floor.

“You have to be diverse in college,” Hegedus said. “They study you. Literally, we'll have practices where we go over each individual player on the opposing team, what they like to do, where they like to go, where they like to shoot. If you do one or two moves, they'll be ready for you. You can't be predictable.”

So she is working on being unpredictable.

What was unpredictable for Clarion this past season was the lack of an arena.

Tippin Gymnasium was undergoing a major renovation and the Golden Eagles had to play and practice at the university's recreation center.

“We had to share it with the public,” Hegedus said. “Sometimes we'd only be able to use half the court for practice. That was definitely a struggle.

“Our locker room was the women's bathroom.”

Tippin should be open this season.

“It's going to be worth it, I think,” Hegedus said.

Hegedus also had a standout year in the classroom.

An education major, Hegedus ended up with a 4.0 GPA after her first year while in the honors program and earned several academic scholarships.

She was also inducted into the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society and the National Society of Leadership and Success.

After the season, Hegedus also discovered that she played half the season with a broken leg.

“(I was) battling what I thought were bad shin splints,” Hegedus said. “I saw the orthopedic surgeon after my last game and found out I had been playing on a stress fracture in my left tibia the entire time.”

This summer, Hegedus has also added coach to her resume.

She's helping out with an AAU team coached by her father, Mike.

Coaching is something she hopes to do one day.

“My style is a lot like my dad's,” Hegedus said. “He's not a yeller. I don't yell. I just tell them what they need to do and try to be encouraging. My dad was always encouraging. Being able to coach with my dad is pretty special.”