Osage college basketball star ready to become a coach

Since she was eight years old Caitlin Russell has lived a life of sacrifice.

After school, she could be found in a gymnasium. Her summers were spent on the basketball court and she spent her entire college basketball career with a basketball in hand.

This past spring, the 22-year-old Osage played in her last college basketball game and takes a long list of accomplishments with her.

“It’s defiantly hard, I’m always going to miss it, I’m always going to want to play, it’s (basketball) been a huge part of my life,” Russell said. “My last game I bawled my eyes.”

But now, months later, Russell is ready to start her next journey of becoming a women’s college basketball coach.

Russell said she’ll start small and eventually work her way up.

“I want to be successful with it and pass on my gift to the girls I will be coaching,” she said.

Her gift stems from playing basketball since she was about eight or nine years old. She said she played year-round, mostly in tournaments.

She attended Hillcrest High School in Springfield, Mo., where she graduated from in 2007.

As a high school basketball player Russell was named to the 1st Team All-District, All-Ozark All-Tournament team and was the all-time leading scorer. She also led the team to the quarterfinals of the class 5A state tournament as a junior – the farthest in the school’s history.

After high school, Russell was recruited by the Evangel University Women’s basketball team, which competes in the National Associate of Collegiate Athletics Division I Heart of American Conference.

“In high school you have the kids who aren’t as talented, in college everybody’s talented,” she said. “College:  it just demands a lot more out of you, the skill level, the competition level, I mean everybody’s good.”

Russell said college basketball was tough. She said coaches and practices were more demanding but she knew she had what it took.

She said her dedication to the sport got her through any doubt she had about making it as a college athlete.

“My dedication really made me stick out,” she said. “My dedication, I’ve been playing since I was in third grade, if I wasn’t dedicated…wouldn’t have succeeded.”

And no one knows more about Russell’s dedication than her parents Don and Monica Russell.

Monica Russell said it was no surprise when her daughter picked up basketball.

She and her husband also have two older children a son and daughter, who both were avid basketball players.

“She’s always been around basketball… that’s all she’s known is growing up in a gym and just took to it,” Monica Russell said. “There was no way that she would ever not do it because it was her goal.”

Caitlin Russell was only given four years to play college basketball and in all four years she has made accomplishments some can only dream of.

During the 2009-2010 season she was named to the NAIA Division I 3^rd Team All-Conference. For the 2010-2011 season she was named to the 1^st Team All-Conference. She was also named NAIA Honorable Mention All-American for the 2010-2011 season. She is a five-time All-Heart of American Athletic Conference Player of the Week and is ranked 12th in all-time scoring at Evangel University with 1,230 points. She helped her team to three NAIA national tournament appearances and much more.

Monica Russell said after years of scheduling around practices, games and tournaments she was looking forward to helping her daughter catch up on all the things she missed out on.

“When we got through with college basketball I thought I wouldn’t have to work around her basketball but she said ‘mom, basketball will always be a part of my life’,” Monica Russell said. “Caitlin will be an excellent coach, she has the patience and workout ethic that it takes to do this.”

Caitlin has one year left before she graduates with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education. She will also to continue coaching a local youth girl’s basketball team.