Packer develops as player
Guard who grew up as a fan and ball girl now better-rounded
Friday, March 17, 2006
Jim Massie
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
</IMG> NEAL C . LAURON | DISPATCH Marscilla Packer is mainly a perimeter shooter in the Ohio State offense but has been working on her intensity.
Jim Foster had a certain kid in mind in 2002 when he became the coach of the Ohio State women’s basketball team.
She went to bed each night with a Katie Smith poster on the wall above her scarlet-and-gray pillow and envisioned one day knocking down a winning jump shot for the Buckeyes in Value City Arena.
"I think when you’re at a large state university, x-number of players in the state dream of playing for that school," Foster said. "I was at two places (Saint Joseph’s and Vanderbilt) where you didn’t have those dreams."
In his mind, OSU sophomore guard Marscilla Packer fits that profile as precisely as a freshly stitched Block O.
"She was a ball girl," Foster said. "She grew up (a fan)."
Longtime fans remember Packer as a slender 11-year-old dribbling the ball behind her back or through her legs at home games. The tie that binds her to Ohio State today began those two seasons.
"It was fun," Packer said. "I just liked being able to shoot on the court during halftime and things like that. I mean, people who have been fans here say they remember me doing it. They say it was a form of recruiting me then. For me, it was just something I liked doing."
Eight years later, Packer still likes shooting the ball. She has become the primary perimeter threat for the Buckeyes (28-2), who open NCAA Tournament play as the No. 1 seed in the Albuquerque region at 9:30 p.m. Sunday against Oakland (15-15) in West Lafayette, Ind.
Yet there is more to Packer’s game now than a sweet jump shot. There is more to basketball than she ever imagined at 11.
"It’s like I knew nothing back then," Packer said. "Playing when you’re younger is just playing. Once you get to a different level you start learning."
Through the years, she became a star at Pickerington High School under coach Dave Butcher.
"I learned a lot from Butcher," Packer said. "And I had a great AAU coach in Troy Taylor. I started to learn a lot more about the game."
When she chose Ohio State, Packer discovered that Foster would demand a level beyond anything she had experienced.
"Coach Foster teaches you every day, and your intensity has to be there every day," Packer said. "In high school, you can get away with not coming with it and still win. At this level, you can’t."
As a freshman, Packer played behind senior guard Caity Matter. Defensive lapses resulted in bench time. A year later, the lapses don’t occur as often.
"She’s more disciplined, a harder worker and understands a lot more now," Foster said. "She’s just growing. I think if Dave Butcher and I sat down and had a conversation two or three years ago and said, ‘You know Packer is really going to enjoy taking charges,’ it would have been like the furthest thing from anybody’s mind. But she relishes the opportunity."
Packer acknowledges that she feels differently about contact.
"Taking a charge shows an improvement in your game," she said. "I would never have done that my freshman year. Even in high school, it was like a fluke if it did happen. Now, it’s like taking one for the team by putting your body in there. It’s a different intensity, and I love doing it."
Packer has become a key for the team during its 19-game winning streak. She made an early splash at Michigan State by threading a last-second, 40-foot pass that Jessica Davenport turned into a winning layup.
"When she throws the ball up there to Jess, there are a number of times in the game when the only one who could possibly catch the ball is Jess," Foster said. "It’s right where it needs to be and it’s an easy finish."
And the Buckeyes are thankful that Packer still likes to shoot. She rescued Ohio State in a December overtime win at Boston College by making five three-pointers. She matched a program record held by Matter in February with eight three-pointers at Minnesota.
In the regular-season finale at Penn State, Packer hit the winning shot off an offensive rebound. She also made the winning three-pointer against Purdue in the Big Ten tournament championship game.
"If it’s a big possession for us and it’s smart and within the offense, I’ll take the shot," Packer said, smiling.
That’s every kid’s dream.
[email protected]
