Former TMC basketball standout Erin Buescher was featured recently in USA Today. The following article is from the July 18, 2006 edition.

Erin Buescher will tell you playing basketball is not the No. 1 priority in her life. And she means it.

But no matter where she ranks basketball, the Sacramento Monarchs are happy to have Buescher on their roster.

The 6-3 forward, a devout Christian who loves surfing, has emerged as a leading candidate for the WNBA’s most improved player award.

And part of the reason is her new up-and-under move---catch the basketball, pivot and then step through, going past the defender---which has become a staple of Monarch post players.

“She’s done the same thing DeMya Walker did for us,” says Sacramento coach John Whisenant. “(Erin) learned our step-throughs and footwork. It has made her an offensive threat inside. DeMya went from a twice-traded player to an All-Star. And we see Erin making the same kind of progress.”

Buescher is taking advantage of increased playing time while Walker, who gave birth to a daughter in April, works her way back into game shape. Buescher says playing in Greece in the offseason helped her put her career in perspective.

“It’s a different game in the post,” says Buescher, who is averaging 10.7 points after just 3.7 her first four years. “You have to get your mind and your body ready. And you get to a point where you just let go. You say I know there is something bigger than me and more in control of the situation.”

Whisenant credits his assistant, Monique Ambers, a 6-4 former WNBA player, with the improvement of Walker and Buescher.

“Having one move that you know you can go to and score is a big thing, and we work on it every day before practice,” Ambers said of Buescher’s improvement.

Buescher’s path to pro success has been anything but ordinary.

She walked away from the WNBA after three seasons in 2004 for the chance to “experience New Zealand.” She left the University of California-Santa Barbara, where she was the three-time Big West Player of the Year, to attend The Master’s College for her senior year. She said she transferred so she could study the Bible in class daily and be around other believers.

“I tend to be an in-the-moment person,” says Buescher, who at one time wanted to be a pro surfer. “Even though (basketball) may not be the No. 1 thing in my life, when I’m there, I will be there 100%. I will play hard and give it my all.”

Teammate Yolanda Griffith says Buescher’s beliefs are not a problem in the locker room.

“She works hard every day,” Griffith says. “We support one another. Everybody is doing their own thing off the court. But when it comes time to play basketball, our focus is the Monarchs and what we need to do.”