MOUNT VERNON — For Mount Vernon Nazarene University senior Rachel Fiely, basketball has played a major role in her life, and rightly so.
Fiely is a gifted all-around player. She can dribble, pass, shoot and defend with the best of them. There is also one more trait that stumps them all, however. She can lead.
The Cougars are off to a 10-0 start this season with Fiely at the helm. The team is averaging 78.8 points a game this seasons, including Fiely’s 12.7. A large portion of that scoring is due to the fact that she is averaging 6.5 assists per game.
“We have learned that we have more than just me or (Amanda) Himes. That’s a big relief,” said Fiely. “Finally I can play the point guard spot without having to worry about scoring all of the time. It has just been nice because we have so many talented people this year.”
With so much talent around her, Fiely’s abilities are shining brighter than ever. Despite breaking the career assist record in the second game of the season, it hasn’t always been this easy for Fiely or the Cougars.
“There were a lot of things that happened my freshman year, so you don’t really know how it would have turned out,” Fiely said. “My sophomore year was kind of frustrating because we really only had six players. Then last year, we had a lot of potential. We just didn’t show it. I think this year, it is really coming out.”
Fiely didn’t even known she was close to the career mark until after last season was over. She entered this season needing six assists to snap the record, then 411 held by Mia Dallas (1985-88).
“Last year, after our last tournament game, coach made a comment about me being close, but I had no idea. I didn’t even know I was in the ballpark. This year, it was brought up at the beginning so I knew, but it was still special,” said Fiely. “Every year, it is my goal to have more assists than turnovers, but I never expected this to happen so soon.”
Breaking the record means just one thing to Fiely, “It just means that I have lots of people making baskets. I feel like I do a good job of getting the ball to people where they can score, but that also means people are finishing.”
It is her steady improvement as a player that coach Steve Gregory is so pleased with.
“To have a player the caliber of Rachel Fiely, who has been here for four years and really has played well every year, is a good thing,” Gregory said. “When you score 1,000 points in your first three years, that says something about your abilities. She can obviously score, although scoring has been the least in her mind. She is so well-rounded and gifted. She is not your typical point guard. She is big and strong. She’s amazing in the fullcourt.
“Where she has progressed to this year — and has made the biggest difference — is she knows there’s scoring areas and doesn’t get the ball to her teammates too early.”
With improvement also comes more responsibility. Fiely, being the floor general, doesn’t shy away from anything.
“I feel a lot of responsibility. I take what coach gives me. I think he is comfortable giving me a lot of responsibility,” said Fiely. “I’m very competitive; I don’t like to lose.”
Her work in the offseason — despite being slowed by surgery on her feet in between her sophomore and junior year — has helped make her the player she is.
“She is a bigger point guard than you typically see and have,” said Gregory. “She is strong and can throw her weight around. She is a great defender. When she gets out in transition, her eyes are always looking ahead to find the open person. She is incredibly unselfish. I’ve been asking her for three years to be more selfish, and look for open shots. Last year, she shot 39 percent from the three-point line and she still didn’t shoot it nearly enough. I thought she passed up shots she should have been taking, but didn’t because she is an unselfish player. She doesn’t go out looking for accolades. She adds so much to our team. There is no real weakness to her game.”
Like all players, every year Fiely sets a list of goals for herself. Her first this season was to average only two turnovers a game. While that may not be possible — she has 30 turnovers to date — she hasn’t let it slow her down from reaching her other goals.
“We’ve achieved some success,” said Fiely. “One of our goals is to win the conference, which obviously we haven’t done yet. Another of our goals is to win 20 games, and I think we are definitely on the road to do that.”
Since he recruited Fiely out of Greenville High School, Gregory has watched her grow as a player and as a person.
“Rachel is rugged, hard-nosed, blue collar. She gets after you, doesn’t back down from competition. She is physically tough, mentally tough,” Gregory said. “I don’t have enough words to describe how valuable and what a great asset she has been to our team over the last four years. The numbers she has been able to amass over time are great, and by the time her career is over, she will be one of our best. She is so versatile and can play so many positions. It is tough to really put a true value on her because she is such a gifted player.”
While Gregory admits the team’s success starts with Fiely, he believes it is total team effort that is making the difference this season as well as his senior leadership.
“I think we start with a strong core of seniors. We have five seniors that have been around and have seen everything. That is a huge deal,” said Gregory. “There is a world of difference between veterans and young players. The experience part of the game is an imperative part that some times people overlook and we haven’t had that. To actually have five seniors, I can tell you what a difference it makes in fullcourt pressure and handling that pressure, and mentally being able to move the defense with pass fakes and then find a seam. You don’t have to be overly quick; you have to be smart.”
No matter what happens the rest of the season, one thing is certain: Fiely and her teammates won’t be backing down.
“We are on a roll,” Fiely said. “We don’t play down to our competition too much. We don’t let them hang around for too long. I can’t wait to see when we start playing some more competitive teams. I feel confident where we are now. Definitely.”
