Feb. 28, 2014
By Tyler Feldman, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - In the four seasons that senior forward Talia East has been a part of the Penn State women's basketball program, the Lady Lions have registered 98 wins, a mere 29 losses and won two Big Ten regular season titles.
"This class is accustomed to winning," said assistant coach Kia Damon. "What these ladies [the seniors] have been able to do in their four years here has been pretty remarkable."
A big reason for Penn State's success over the past four seasons can be linked to the development of East into a leader and dominant inside presence.
"Talia has represented our edge and our toughness, especially in the post," said Damon. "That's always a key component you want to have, especially as you build a team to be really, really successful. She takes pride in being our enforcer. She's from Philly and we tell her that we need the `Philly' in her to come out every game. She does a great job of being the stabilizing force inside for us, both offensively and defensively."
In her senior season, East is posting the best numbers of her career. She has played in all 27 games, starting in 24 of those, while averaging 7.6 points per game by shooting 52 percent from the field, grabbing 7.5 rebounds per game and swatting 1.3 shots per game.
For the humble East, her on-the-court performance this year has come as a little bit of a surprise.
"Who knew?" said East. "I think just learning and focusing on getting better each game was key for me. Just putting in the time and effort has definitely paid off. I'm just so proud of what I've accomplished and how much more there is to accomplish. The season is not even close to being over."
When asked to describe her time as a Lady Lion in one word, East responded with being "blessed" to be a part of a great team each of her four seasons.
And, being the selfless person that East is, she made sure that her teammates, especially the players in her senior class, received the credit that they deserve for East's growth as a player.
"Maggie [Lucas] has definitely helped me," said East. "We've put in work before practice and after practice. Maggie's been there cheering me on since high school. Same with Ariel; we came in as freshman, and we were really there for each other with the mental game. I've been so grateful to her for that. And Dara, to have a point guard who knows what she's talking about and really knows the game definitely makes it easy to play the game."
For her teammates, the feeling is mutual.
"[Talia] has been an awesome teammate," said senior guard Maggie Lucas. "She's very competitive and fiery on the court. She really gets after it and It's been awesome to play with her."
Off the court East is anything but an enforcer. Rather, she is the jokester of the team, the clown just without the round red nose, big red shoes and colorful face paint.
"Talia helps keep things in perspective," said Damon. "She has a great sense of when to be serious and when there is a light or fun moment. I think that keeps everyone on balance."
During East's four-year career one aspect of being a Lady Lion has been a staple, her head coach.
"Coquese [Washington] is like a second mom to me," said East. "I couldn't ask for a better coach, and I honestly mean that. She's so caring, but she's hard on you when you need it. She's really just been there for me in my ups and in my downs. I definitely would not be where I am without her."
It certainly has been a memorable four years for East. Her personality has created an environment that is comfortable for her teammates to play in, especially the freshman.
But, as the season winds down and the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments can be seen over the horizon, East goes back to her senior teammates, the best friends that have been with her along the way.
"I love them," said East. "Those are the people who I started this journey with. Before there was hype around our team, before anybody thought we'd win the Big Ten; that was the three that we had. It has just been an amazing journey, and I'm just looking forward to ending it the right way."