Lakers build success around Achesinski
SLIPPERY ROCK — Amy Achesinski felt the jab of an elbow to her midsection, then the sting of a flailing arm in the small of her back.
A Butler graduate and a junior on the Mercyhurst College women's basketball team, Achesinski tried to position herself in the block against Slippery Rock University at Morrow Field House Wednesday night.
But SRU shadowed her every move.
"She's going to see that a lot," said Mercyhurst coach Deanna Richard.
Achesinski is hounded, pounded and harassed nightly.
That's nothing new.
At Butler, she was the center of attention, yet still scored more than 1,500 points.
Facing the same kind of scrutiny at Mercyhurst, Achesinski has netted 1,013 points and 514 rebounds in 65 career games with the Lakers.
Like her other accomplishments, Achesinski shrugs this one off, too.
"It's just another milestone in my career," she said. "It was great to get both of them, and I was really excited about it, but there is more to do."
Namely, staying alive.
The attention heaped upon the 6-foot-1 star has turned her into more of a passer than a pure scorer.
When she receives the ball in the post, she can look to make a move to the hoop or pass to an open teammate.
It's made for some grueling nights for Achesinski, who is averaging 13.7 points and 9.2 rebounds per game.
"It's nothing really new, but it is hard," Achesinski said. "It definitely breaks down you body. But mentally, that's where I push myself even more to make sure I make it through the game and a season without breaking down."
To ensure she continues to be durable — Achesinski hasn't missed a game in two-plus seasons — she puts in extra work to prepare herself for the physical grind of a post player in the physical PSAC."Every preseason and postseason I work on getting as strong as I possibly can," Achesinski said. "Then we do lighter lifting throughout the season to uphold it."Achesinski took the road less traveled three years ago when she turned down offers to play for more established women's basketball programs to play with the Lakers.Mercyhurst was making the move into the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Before Achesinski arrived, the program had a 17 wins in the previous three season and no seniors on the roster.Achesinski wanted to help build the program."It's really exciting to be a part of this," Achesinski said. "My freshman year, we had no seniors and one junior. Last year, one senior. The whole team is coming together."Mercyhurst is 9-4 after finishing 7-20 and 10-17 the last two seasons.Achesinski has been a big part of the resurgence."The thing about her is she is very unselfish," Richard said. "The only selfish trait she has is she tries to do too much for her teammates."Richard said she leans heavily on Achesinski to gauge the morale and mindset of the team.Achesinski relishes that role."I'm not the most vocal leader. I lead by example," she said. "In practice I try to lead more. I help the younger posts with her game because I'm not going to be here for five more years."
