by MARISSA BALL
Adrienne Squire may only be a junior, but she has quickly emerged as a leader on the Lady Lion basketball team. The squad, which has seven sophomores and freshmen on the roster, started this season with four consecutive wins and has its sights set on a return to Big Ten prominence.
"Starting off with four wins helped us move into the season with a little more confidence," said Squire. "It's nice to win but we also have to continue to grow and develop."
Squire, who spent much of the summer rehabbing her shoulder after an outbreak of severe bursitis and tendonitis, returns to the team to resume her role as a starting guard and as the Lady Lions' best outside shooter.
"This summer did not go the way that I had planned. I spent the whole summer trying to rehab my shoulder. I was not allowed to shoot or run and spent all of my time training on the bike and lifting weights with my legs and one arm," Squire said. "It was very frustrating. I needed to use a lot of mental strength to fight through the injury."
The 6-0 Indianapolis native has high expectations for the 2006-07 season as eight players, each of whom saw game action last season, return to the Lady Lions.
"My goals for the team are high. We were so young last year and we needed time to grow. This year I hope our experience and teamwork pays off," she said.
After a successful 2005-06 season in which she made a team best 49 three-pointers and scored a career-high 28 points in a win over Illinois, Squire was awarded the 2006 Robin Lombard Award. The Lombard Award recognizes the athlete that exemplifies the true spirit of Lady Lion basketball, and has previously been awarded to former Lady Lion standout and current WNBA player Tanisha Wright.
"It was nice to win the award," said Squire. "I feel that when a player immerses herself into the program, good things happen. I'm glad that I can represent Penn State."
Not only is she the Lady Lions' best outside shooter, Squire also broke the NCAA single-season record for free throw percentage last season, connecting on 80-of-83 (.964) free throws. She also made a string of 60-straight shots from the charity stripe dating back to the 2004-05 campaign, which broke the Penn State record for consecutive free throws made set by current assistant coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl during the 1989-90 season.
Instead of concentrating on the past, however, Squire is always looking toward the future. "My goal for this season is always the same: do whatever it takes to help the team be successful," she said.
Now that Squire is an upperclassman, she is stepping in to help fill the void left by former Lady Lion standout Kelly Mazzante, who previously guided the younger girls on the team. "Kelly was a great mentor for me," said Squire. "Although I didn't get to play with her, I did get to shoot with her. She was always ready to help in anything I needed. That is the way I feel with the younger girls. I was there for them this summer during training and they all know that if they need something, they can just let me know."
Squire is off to a great start this season, posting the second-best scoring average on the team at a 11.8 per game clip. She is also pulling in 3.8 rebounds and making 2.4 three-pointers per outing, which ranks fourth among Big Ten leaders. Entering Friday's game at Pittsburgh, Squire has notched three-straight double figure performances including a 12-point effort against #18/18 Rutgers and a 16-point game against Western Kentucky at the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands.