McCullough's Success No Mystery for Golden Eagles
12/15/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
She began this season connecting on her first six shots from the field - including just the second three-pointer of her career - in the season opener at Evansville. She connected on 9-of-10 from the free throw line, en route to a career-best 19 points at Montana State. And at Penn State, McCullough helped seal the Golden Eagles' fifth consecutive victory, by scoring five points, grabbing four rebounds, blocking a shot and notching a steal during a key stretch late in the contest.
But numbers do not tell the whole story, nor do they simply exist or come out of nowhere.
They come from hard work and dedication. They come from grueling 7 a.m. workouts every morning as a freshman, and possessing the right focus on and off the court. They come from earning the respect of your fellow teammates, coaches, and opponents. (Although the latter often finds that out the hard way.)
As that respect continues to grow, so does McCullough's reputation as one of Marquette's forces to be reckoned with in its first year of BIG EAST play.
McCullough came to Marquette from St. Louis' Rosary H.S., where she was a two-time First Team All-Missouri selection. She averaged 23.3 points and 11.0 rebounds in her senior year. Her numbers were good. Her fitness, however, was not.
"Jasmine came to Marquette out of shape." said head coach Terri Mitchell. "But to her credit, she woke up every morning at 7 a.m. to work out with Scott Holsopple, our strength and conditioning coach."
"I knew what college was about." McCullough explained. "I knew I wasn't going to start, but could contribute by doing what the coaches needed me to do. And my first priority was to get in shape."
Every morning, the alarm bell rang before sunrise and she met at Holsopple at the Al McGuire Center. These were no morning workouts at the "Y," or doing a brisk 20 minutes on the stairmaster to work up a sweat. Holsopple's workouts and the notion of fun, it is safe to say, are diametrically opposed.
"I made sure that we did workouts she didn't like." said Holsopple. "It was an old-school, lock the door mentality and she had two choices: get it done or don't. She started at the bottom and worked her way to the top."
While her fitness level, initially, was low, McCullough's attitude, intensity, and drive to be the best was not.
"You have to have the right attitude in the workouts, or else you wouldn't make it." said McCullough. "Scott has changed me as a whole person, top to bottom. My mental toughness has improved, not just in the weight room and on the court, but with my classwork as well."
Mitchell agreed: "Her transformation was amazing but her attitude throughout was even more remarkable."
As the 2003-04 season progressed, McCullough's playing time and role increased. She became one of the team's most important subs, coming off the bench to provide intensity on both ends of court. Down the stretch of the 22-10 season, which included an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, she played a vital role in several key games.
She had eight points at home in a win over Memphis on Feb. 13 and grabbed nine rebounds in the Conference USA opener against Tulane on Mar. 4. The next night, in Marquette's second win over nationally-ranked DePaul in a week, McCullough contributed eight points and four rebounds.
"Terri knew that Jasmine had the potential to be a leader, but it's hard to lead when your lagging behind in runs and winded during practice." Holsopple recalled. "But as she got in better shape, her intangibles and her work ethic were more evident. She became a better leader. There's nobody on this team that works harder than she does."
That summer, McCullough continued to work hard during the offseason. Building on her strong finish to her first season, she was intent on taking her game to the next level. "I couldn't let my conditioning go down, or go backwards." explained McCullough. "I went home and worked my butt off, almost as if Scott was there pushing me."
Once again, her hard work paid off. As a sophomore, McCullough earned a spot in the starting lineup in 29 of the Golden Eagles' 30 contests and saw increases in both scoring - from 2.4 to 8.0 - and minutes played - from 8.8 to 27.4. She tallied double-digits in the points column 12 times.
But McCullough made her mark more trying to stop people from scoring than she did scoring herself.
"She makes defense her first priority" said Mitchell. "Whenever we talk about gameplans, I know Jasmine believes that our defense creates our offense. And on the offensive end, she plays whatever role we need her to."
"She is capable of scoring 20 points a game. But no matter if it's 20 or two, her presence on the floor she makes our offense better. She makes her teammates better. She demands it."
While seemingly a chemistry major on the court, helping to blend the team together offensively and defensively, McCullough follows a different scientific path off the court: electrical engineering. And, like basketball, she views her studies as less labor, and more love.
"It is a demanding major, but I like it." McCullough explained. "If I were an english major for example, I would find it difficult because I'm not into it as much. But I push myself hard, I demand a lot of myself. I want to get good grades, not just get by."
"It is a very tough major, but her focus never wavers." explained Mitchell. "When she is on the court, she wants to be the best basketball player. When she is in the classroom and the lab, she strives to be the best engineer possible."
Whether it is basketball or her studies, McCullough?s approach doesn?t change.
?I'm almost a perfectionist - I want to do everything right.? said McCullough. ?I want people to know that they can count on me if they need me. I just want to be the best person I can be.?
With that kind of attitude, Jasmine McCullough?s success should be no mystery to anyone.
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