It might feel like Kristen New is going back to the beginning.

Wednesday, September 06, 2000

It might feel like Kristen New is going back to the beginning.

Kristen, a standout Ironton High School basketball player and 1998 graduate, is starting her junior this year at Tusculum College in Greeneville, S.C. and will be playing for a new coach this season.

"I’m excited about the upcoming season," she said. "We have a new coach, Susan McBride. She is getting everyone excited about the coming season. She has turned other losing programs around and hopefully she will be able to do the same at Tusculum."

Seemingly every player that leaves high school to go to the next level says that it is a different game. Kristen is no exception to the rule.

"Once you reach this stage, things are a whole lot more focused on basketball," she said. "It becomes a year round sport with much more intensity."

Before Christmas and a season-affecting bout with pneumonia, Kristen averaged 16.2 points a game, 4-1 rebounds a game and at one point led the South Atlantic Conference in free throw shooting hitting 93.1 percent. She was also fourth in three-point shooting. After pneumonia her stats dropped slightly.

Despite the impressive individual numbers, Kristen was more interested in team progress.

"We have a chance to have a better season this year. If we work together as a team and play to, our potential, then, we should be one of the better teams in our conference," Kristen said. "We have a good enough team and we have some talented recruits coming in that will help.

"I need to step it up and take more of a leadership role on the team this year. I’ve been working out a lot this offseason, which is a big key. You have to work out just about all year to be in the shape you need to be in."

She is not at Tusculum to play basketball only. Business management is her major course of study and she is working on a minor in computer information systems.

"We have a good school," she said. "Everyone has time to get their classes in and then practice. We go to class from 9-12 in the morning and practice in the afternoon."

You can keep up with Kristen and the rest of the Pioneers on the internet at www.tusculum.edu/athletics.