Feb. 23, 2016
By Mike Gilbert, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Candice Agee went from freshman to senior in the blink of an eye. On Wednesday night, she will be playing in her final game at the Bryce Jordan Center in her Penn State career, as the senior prepares to finish the year strong then chase her WNBA dreams. She and fellow senior Brianna Banks will be the focus of the senior night celebration before the game in the Bryce Jordan Center.
Head coach Coquese Washington knows it will be her job to make sure emotions do not get too far away from the basketball court.
"Senior night is always an interesting night because you never know how emotional the impact will or won't be for the seniors. It'll be interesting to see how Bri and Candice handle the emotions around senior day, and I know they're both excited to play in front of our fans one last time."
Agee said her favorite moment in the Bryce Jordan Center was when her team won the Big Ten regular season championship her sophomore year. Along with the championship, the Pink Zone game and senior night were all part of that night's festivities.
"My mom, my dad, my brother were there and the crowd did not leave, the crowd stayed there for 30, 40 minutes after the game was over just to see everything and they stayed cheering the whole time. That was awesome," said Agee.
This year, Agee's father, Rodney Agee, will be in attendance on senior night, and will be with his daughter on the court before the game. Agee's parents had never missed one of her games up throughout high school, and she started playing basketball when she was four years old. Agee said whenever her father is in the stands that she always plays better. She even laughed about how ready her dad was to be part of senior night.
"He told me he has his outfit picked out and everything," Agee said with a laugh.
"I'm from California, so they don't get to come out too much, so it means a lot for him to be here. [He and I] are very close," added Agee.
As for what Agee will do upon graduating, she envisions a future playing professional basketball.
"I plan on entering the draft and then if that doesn't work, I'll go to some camps and see if I can get picked up there. If that doesn't work out, I'm headed overseas."
Agee says Spain would be the place she would want to play overseas, but if she were able to play in the WNBA, she would like to play for the Los Angeles Sparks, and would like to learn from all-time great, Candace Parker.
"She's unstoppable, I'd love to play behind her," said Agee.
Washington believes Agee has the skill-set to continue playing, and reminisced about her career wearing Blue and White.
"Candice is one of the most talented post players I've ever coached and she's got great hands, great footwork, and she has really impacted us," Washington said. "She got in the record book for blocked shots. So it's the last time for our fans to see them in the friendly confides of the BJC."
As for the task at hand, Penn State still has an opportunity to gain a higher seed in the Big Ten tournament with a few wins and a few losses by Iowa. As luck would have it, the Lady Lions face Iowa on Wednesday. Agee will not let her emotions get in the way of competing against the Hawkeyes.
"[The emotions] will kick in after the game," she said.
For Agee and Banks, it is time for one last postseason push. To Agee, it seems like it was only yesterday she was a freshman.
"I'm about to graduate. It really does fly by."
But before nostalgia kicks in, Agee and her team have some work left to do.