Senior Dionne Marsh is adjusting to her newfound leadership role on the UNM women's basketball team.
Marsh leads the Lobos on the court with a team-high 14.4 points and 5.6 free throws per game. She also averages 5.8 rebounds in 30.9 minutes per game this season.
But leadership is more than just outstanding statistics, head coach Don Flanagan said.
"This year, Dionne is trying her hardest to step up and be a leader - to really be somebody that all the other players look up to - not only as a player, but as a person off the court," he said.
Introverted and reserved by nature, Marsh has fought to become more outspoken this season, Flanagan said.
"I'm very pleased with her leadership," he said. "Dionne is a quiet and shy person, but she's come out of her shell a lot this year. I see a lot of the players looking up to her. They are all a little bit in awe of her talent. All Dionne has to do is take over that leadership responsibility, and it will help the younger players."
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As one of the team's three upperclassmen, Marsh said there is added pressure to perform from night to night.
"Our team is very young this year, and I think they kind of rely on the seniors to do a lot of work," she said. "But it's only natural. We've been here the longest, so we're expected to do the most."
But the senior has not always been the experienced player she is today.
Marsh said she remembers coming to UNM four years ago and having to prove herself.
"The biggest realization for me was that in college, everyone is as good as you are," she said. "Coming in, I didn't expect to get that much playing time. Coach told me that I was really going to have to work for it."
And determination is what Marsh showed, getting her first collegiate start in December 2004 against nationally ranked Texas.
"It took me four games before I started her," Flanagan said. "Once we started her, she fit in nicely. We had a very good team that year, and she was athletic. We needed someone that was quick inside. She was fortunate, I think, because what we needed, she gave us - an athletic, quick player in the interior. So, she got to play quite a bit her freshman year."
Marsh went on to earn the Mountain West Conference's Newcomer of the Year award in 2005. She also led the Lobos in scoring with 12.2 points per game.
But Marsh's major accomplishment of her freshman season came during the postseason, Flanagan said.
"I think her biggest award has been the MWC Tournament MVP awards," he said. "That's when all the pressure is on, and you have an opportunity to go to the NCAA Tournament. I'm not sure anyone has (been MVP) twice, and she's done it twice. So, that's a huge honor for her."
A three-time All-MWC honoree, Marsh became the 14th player in program history to join the 1,000-point club on Nov. 25, 2006. She is in third place on the UNM all-time scoring list with 1,689 points.
Adding to her long list of accomplishments, Marsh is also a three-time MWC All-Academic honoree.
"Being a student-athlete is definitely a balance," she said. "As long as you are willing to work hard and put in that extra effort, teachers are usually very willing to work with you."
As for the future, Marsh is planning on graduating in December with a bachelor's in biology.
She said she would like to pursue basketball as far as it will take her but has the academic background to fall back on.
"It would be nice to play basketball," she said. "But I want to apply to grad school and med school and probably become a physician's assistant. I'm just planning on applying for everything and seeing how it goes for me."
