Published: Friday, December 2, 2011, 12:10 a.m.
College Athlete of the Week: Mary Ochiltree
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Steven Georges / LBSU
Mary Ochiltree of the Long Beach State Women's basketball team.
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Steven Georges / LBSU
Mary Ochiltree of the Long Beach State Women's basketball team.
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College athlete of the week
Player: Mary Ochiltree
Year, school: Junior, Long Beach State University
Sport: Basketball
Hometown: Lake Stevens (Lake Stevens High School)
What she did: Averaged 5.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in three games as a starting guard for LBSU last week.
What's next: Ochiltree and the 49ers are in Seattle for games against Seattle U. tonight and the University of Washington on Sunday.
Two-minute drill
This has to be a big week for you, since you're coming back home to play a pair of games. What do you expect it to be like?
I don't know. I think I have even more motivation than usual because I'll be playing in front of family of friends.
What kind of a following do you expect?
I've heard a lot of people are coming.
What kind of numbers are we talking?
I don't know numbers. If I had to guess, I'd say it's at least 50. And that's just the people I know.
To both games?
Hopefully, they come to both games.
The homecoming seems to come a bit too late, since you were in New York for the holiday last week. What was that like, being in New York?
It was cool. I spent my freshman year of college in New York, at St. John's. So it was nice to see the city again.
Oh, yeah? So were you the team tour guide last week?
A little bit, yeah. One of the team boosters lives out there also, so that helped. But everyone was asking me what the best spots are.
So what are the best spots?
Oh, a lot of the historical stuff. The landmarks. We went to the Statue of Liberty.
You've certainly done a lot of travelling since your days at Lake Stevens High School. What can you tell us about your journey to St. John's, back to Everett CC, and then how did you end up at Long Beach State?
At St. John's, I didn't realize how much I missed playing basketball. I tried to walk on to the team, but it was too late. So I was just playing intramurals. I came back for the summer and played open gym at Everett CC, and I ended up wanting to stay. So I stayed for two years. Then my coaches from Everett CC contacted the coaches at Long Beach, and they called and offered a scholarship.
Did you get any scholarship offers out of high school?
Just an offer to go to Dartmouth and play. But I wasn't ready to make a decision at that point.
So why did you end up going to St. John's?
It seemed like the right thing to do at the time. It was one of those things where I went out to visit and really loved it. I really wanted to go to New York City, so I went out, and I just went for it.
At Long Beach, you've become an immediate starter. Was that the expectation?
No, I didn't expect it. It's just because our coaches like competitors. So I work hard every day to earn minutes every game.
It looks like your 3-point shooting numbers have been down this season. Did you forget your outside touch back at Everett CC?
(Laughs) It's weird because as a high school player (at Lake Stevens), I was known as a 3-point shooter. I tried to get away from that and tried to drive more. Now I've become known as more of a defensive player. So I've just gotten away from it.
Long Beach sounds like a beautiful place, but it's not all bathing suits and surfboards down there. What's it like living in a place like that?
It's a nice town. I've got to be honest, I don't get outside of the gym and class much. There's a cool downtown shopping area. And it's really close to L.A.
It's not exactly Lake Stevens. Is it a lot different from your hometown?
Oh, yes. In Lake Stevens, it feels like pretty much everybody knows everybody.
Well, it sounds like everybody in town is coming to the games this weekend. Will there be anyone left in Lake Stevens?
I'm pretty sure there will be. But there are a lot of people coming down. I know the girls' high school team is trying to come to the games.
OK, so you're a marketing major. Give us a marketing strategy for filling the seats for the two Long Beach State games up here this weekend.
Oh, my gosh. It's going to be really competitive. I'm going to be there, so people can come and support me. Gosh, I don't know.
Maybe you could guarantee that you'll find your 3-point shot?
(Laughs) Yeah, I'm bringing it back for my hometown.
Player: Mary Ochiltree
Year, school: Junior, Long Beach State University
Sport: Basketball
Hometown: Lake Stevens (Lake Stevens High School)
What she did: Averaged 5.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in three games as a starting guard for LBSU last week.
What's next: Ochiltree and the 49ers are in Seattle for games against Seattle U. tonight and the University of Washington on Sunday.
Two-minute drill
This has to be a big week for you, since you're coming back home to play a pair of games. What do you expect it to be like?
I don't know. I think I have even more motivation than usual because I'll be playing in front of family of friends.
What kind of a following do you expect?
I've heard a lot of people are coming.
What kind of numbers are we talking?
I don't know numbers. If I had to guess, I'd say it's at least 50. And that's just the people I know.
To both games?
Hopefully, they come to both games.
The homecoming seems to come a bit too late, since you were in New York for the holiday last week. What was that like, being in New York?
It was cool. I spent my freshman year of college in New York, at St. John's. So it was nice to see the city again.
Oh, yeah? So were you the team tour guide last week?
A little bit, yeah. One of the team boosters lives out there also, so that helped. But everyone was asking me what the best spots are.
So what are the best spots?
Oh, a lot of the historical stuff. The landmarks. We went to the Statue of Liberty.
You've certainly done a lot of travelling since your days at Lake Stevens High School. What can you tell us about your journey to St. John's, back to Everett CC, and then how did you end up at Long Beach State?
At St. John's, I didn't realize how much I missed playing basketball. I tried to walk on to the team, but it was too late. So I was just playing intramurals. I came back for the summer and played open gym at Everett CC, and I ended up wanting to stay. So I stayed for two years. Then my coaches from Everett CC contacted the coaches at Long Beach, and they called and offered a scholarship.
Did you get any scholarship offers out of high school?
Just an offer to go to Dartmouth and play. But I wasn't ready to make a decision at that point.
So why did you end up going to St. John's?
It seemed like the right thing to do at the time. It was one of those things where I went out to visit and really loved it. I really wanted to go to New York City, so I went out, and I just went for it.
At Long Beach, you've become an immediate starter. Was that the expectation?
No, I didn't expect it. It's just because our coaches like competitors. So I work hard every day to earn minutes every game.
It looks like your 3-point shooting numbers have been down this season. Did you forget your outside touch back at Everett CC?
(Laughs) It's weird because as a high school player (at Lake Stevens), I was known as a 3-point shooter. I tried to get away from that and tried to drive more. Now I've become known as more of a defensive player. So I've just gotten away from it.
Long Beach sounds like a beautiful place, but it's not all bathing suits and surfboards down there. What's it like living in a place like that?
It's a nice town. I've got to be honest, I don't get outside of the gym and class much. There's a cool downtown shopping area. And it's really close to L.A.
It's not exactly Lake Stevens. Is it a lot different from your hometown?
Oh, yes. In Lake Stevens, it feels like pretty much everybody knows everybody.
Well, it sounds like everybody in town is coming to the games this weekend. Will there be anyone left in Lake Stevens?
I'm pretty sure there will be. But there are a lot of people coming down. I know the girls' high school team is trying to come to the games.
OK, so you're a marketing major. Give us a marketing strategy for filling the seats for the two Long Beach State games up here this weekend.
Oh, my gosh. It's going to be really competitive. I'm going to be there, so people can come and support me. Gosh, I don't know.
Maybe you could guarantee that you'll find your 3-point shot?
(Laughs) Yeah, I'm bringing it back for my hometown.
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