From Australia to Vermillion for our Athlete of the Week!

by Jeff Rusack, Reporter
December 24, 2012 6:48 PM


When watching The USD women play you may not be able to point out which one hails from Australia.. But as soon you hear Nicole Seekamp talk.. there's not mistaking it.  

Nicole Seekamp, USD Sophomore:"People are looking at me like confused and I have to spell it out for the team or say it extremely slow.. it's taken some adjusting but they understand me."

While Seekamp's Aussie accent may throw her teammates off occasionally.

Amy Williams, USD WBB Coach:"Sometimes when she calls out our play that we call 'low' she says it with a little bit of an accent and sometimes the girls don't know what she's calling."

The Renmark native came to a slightly colder South Dakota for one thing.

Nicole Seekamp:"Mainly it was just to play basketball not so much school."

But for someone who didn't come for the learning aspect of school.. she's doing all right in classes.. she has a 4.0 GPA.   

But it took the coaching staff more than a few phone calls to convince this Aussie guard to come play for the Coyotes.   

Amy Williams says:"She had several options and oppurtunities to come to the US and to play at other schools and universities but I think Ryan did Just a great job of connecting wiht her and her family."

Ryan Larsen, USD Assistant WBB Coach:"It took a lot of persuading for two years but it was well worth the two years or recruiting her."

Seekamp says:"I just knew as long as the people were nice that I'm sure I would love it no matter where I was."

But.. no matter the distance.. the game of basketball remains constant..

Seekamp says:"The style of game is pretty similar, I guess it just depends where you go but here it's exactly the same for me."

Nicole Seekamp hopes to help the Yotes.. more than a few miles from home.  

Jeff Rusack KDLT Sports, Vermillion...