How does a freshman transfer find a niche on a defending national champion basketball team?

Scoring 10.4 points and grabbing 5.7 rebounds every game is a nice start.

Those are the numbers that Butler High School graduate Kim Nowakowski has posted through 22 games for California University (Pa.), last year's Division II national champion.

Entering Wednesday's game against Indiana (Pa.), the Vulcans are 18-4 overall, 6-1 in PSAC-West play and are ranked No. 11 in the Division II national rankings.

The 6-foot-2 Nowakowski also is tied for the team lead with 13 blocks.

"It feels good just to get back into basketball," said Nowakowski following the Vulcans' 51-46 win over Slippery Rock University Monday night. "Before this season, I hadn't actually played since high school."

Nowakowski spent her first collegiate season sitting out at Division I Bowling Green, redshirted with a broken right foot. She transferred to Cal

late last spring.

"It really is a perfect fit," Nowakowski said. "My friends and family are able to visit and come to a lot of my games now. If I were at Bowling Green, they would make maybe a couple of games every year."

One of the challenges she was confronted with after transferring was learning a new defense.

"At (Bowling Green) it was just a lot of man-to-man," Nowakowski said. "Here at Cal, we use a lot of traps. It took some getting used to."

"Our (defensive) game is pretty complicated," said California coach Darcie Vincent. "But Kim has been able to adjust to it."

Nowakowski's name appears near the top of several team categories, despite the fact that she is sixth on the squad in minutes played (23.1 per game).

"Her minutes will increase now that she's consistently getting into the starting lineup," said Vincent.

Nowakowski has started nine of 22 games. The start against Slippery Rock was her third straight.

"I just try to contribute as much as I can with the minutes I get," said Nowakowski.

So far this season, Nowakowski has been the team's top rebounder in a game twice and has been Cal's top scorer twice, including a 17-point effort in a 65-58 win over Millersville Jan. 15.

"The best thing about Kim is that she wants to learn," said Vincent. "She's a sponge; constantly asking questions and watching film."

Nowakowski also leads the team in free throw percentage at 84.4 percent (76-of-90), a role usually filled by a backcourt player.

"That's really big for us," said Vincent. "When she goes to the line, we know that it usually turns into two points, plus a foul called on our opponent.

"If she continues to play at this level, it's definitely going to help us down the stretch this season," added Vincent.

"For the next three years, our post game will be centered around her. By the end of that time, she should be one of the best post players in team history."