What's it like being the lone senior on the MSUB women's basketball team? "It doesn't matter whether you are a freshman or a senior," senior Kaitlin Grossman says. "We all get treated the same by the coaches."

But Kaitlin admits she feels more relaxed now than she did as a freshman. "Then I worried about little things I might have done wrong. Now I look at the bigger picture."
              
That bigger picture soon opens up to include a lot of new experiences. Kaitlin has now received her RN from the program at City College and on the university campus. Shortly she will be interviewing for a nursing position at Billings Clinic for the next phase of her life.

In April, Kaitlin will be getting married. Her future husband will begin study to become a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine at Rocky Vista University here in Billings. He is in the Air Force, so quite possibly in four years the two of them will be exploring living in lots of new areas, perhaps some abroad.

Those watching Katlin play admire her leaping and rebounding ability. She says rebounding and playing defense are her favorite parts of playing basketball. "Sometimes my shots don't fall. But I remember that if I play good "d" and rebound well, that makes up for lack of scoring."  
            
What is there about playing basketball that Kaitlin most treasures? The friends she makes, the community spirit, the pleasure of playing together and seeing the team improve.
               
And what is most difficult? The time commitment needed to play well, she states. Studying for the degree in nursing as well as excelling in sports leaves little time for some of the relaxing, fun things one might do.

Kaitlin appreciates the community building role that sports can play for young kids. One of the needs she sees in Billings is additional gym space to accommodate all the potential players. There is a lot of competition for getting time in school gyms.

This year's women's MSUB team relies heavily on freshmen; three are regular starters. The team has been making great strides this year. The recent 74-39 victory over Seattle Pacific makes that progress evident. Kaitlin states that to make such a surge occur, "We all have to trust each other to accomplish our goals." Obviously that trust has been building, and one suspects that a certain senior has much to do with that success.
 
Grossman and the Yellowjackets are set to play their final two games of the season in Alterowitz Gym this week. They open the week's slate on Thursday, February 19 against University of Alaska Anchorage before rounding things off on Saturday, February 21 against University of Alaska Fairbanks. Both games are scheduled to begin at 5:15 PM, with a ceremony to honor Grossman, the Yellowjacket's lone senior set for before tipoff on Saturday. Live coverage links for the Yellowjackets games can be found online here.