Slippery Rock grad finds hoops again
CAPE CORAL, Fla. — For five years the only time Nicole Papely thought about basketball was when she was coaching it.
The 2014 Slippery Rock High graduate figured her days on the court as a player were long over.
But Papley, who relocated to Florida four years ago, has found herself grinding in the paint and launching jump shots again at age 23 with the Fort Myers Bobcats, a semi-pro basketball team that plays in the Women's Basketball Developmental Association.
“I was pretty nervous at first,” Papley said. “My brother (Vince Papley) played semi-pro football, so I talked to him about what it was like.”
It's been an eye-opener for Papley and her team, which is in its first season in the league.
The Bobcats are 0-4 after a loss this weekend in Atlanta. Papley had to drive 18 hours round-trip to play in that game against a team that had three former WNBA players on the roster.
Papley found her way onto the Bobcats' inaugural roster because Fort Myers coach Pervis Caldwell happened to see her shooting around at Island Coast High School, where she was an assistant coach for the girls basketball team.
He was intrigued and approached Papley about attending a tryout.
Papley jumped at the chance.
While the start has been a rocky one for the Bobcats, Papley said the experience has been invaluable.
“We're still trying to figure out how we all fit together and play,” Papley said. “It's been a pretty crazy experience. I hadn't played since high school and I'm trying to get used to the talent in the league.”
Papley's journey since graduating from Slippery Rock and leaving the Slippery Rock University women's basketball program after a short period of time has been an interesting and winding one.
Soon after arriving in the Sunshine State and beginning classes in sports management at the University of Florida online, Papley wound up as an assistant girls basketball coach.
She spent several years in that role at Island Coast, but resigned in March because of her increasingly busy schedule.
“Honestly, coaching the past four years has made me a better person,” Papley said. “It made me grow up a lot. It helped that my head coach (Brittney Garner) was awesome. She was the best person ever to coach next to.”
Papley also added head high school volleyball coach to her resume.
Papley was in charge of the Island Coast volleyball program this past fall.
“I played volleyball for a couple of years during my freshman and sophomore years at Slippery Rock,” Papley said. “It was different. Really different and really hard. I didn't know what I was getting myself into being in charge of 25 high school kids. I learned more about the game and myself during that time. Our girls worked hard every day and it was an awesome experience.”
Papley doesn't know how long she will play. Her time is getting increasingly gobbled up by her schooling and her work schedule.
And her body is also feeling the strain.
“I'm 23, but I sometimes feel like I'm 85,” she said. “I just work so much.”
Papley, though, is enjoying the time she can spend on the basketball court again.
“I was able to keep my shot up during the time I was away,” she said. “But my dribbling needs work. I never really had to dribble in high school, so the coach and I are working on that. I'm just having so much fun playing again.”
