Sports Odds and Ends
UW guard Porter promises better play on her next home visit
It was the first of three scheduled “homecomings” for Wisconsin sophomore and St. Paul native Ronnie Porter. Her team defeated St. Thomas 78-55 last Wednesday, to snap a two-game losing streak.
The 5’4” point guard didn’t hit her 10-point average that night, but had a solid all-around floor game with five assists, four steals, and six rebounds along with five points.
Many who were at the game attributed her 2-for-8 shooting night to trying to do too much in front of family, friends, and other well-wishers on December 13, at the Tommies’ Schoenecker Arena.
Porter admitted as much. “Pressure definitely was a thing,” she told the MSR afterward. “Just not wanting to disappoint the crowd that came to see me is really something I had on my mind the whole game.”
“Even though my shots weren’t falling, I definitely found a way to involve myself in the game, helping my teammates score or being a defensive threat,” noted Porter.
“I think she might be a little over-anxious because of everybody that came to see [her] play today,” observed Ronnie Smith, a Como Park girls assistant coach who coached Porter in high school.
UW Coach Marisa Moseley added, “She put pressure on herself to play well in front of the home crowd.”
Since arriving on campus as a walk-on to later earning a scholarship, Porter is now a full-time starter in her second year at Wisconsin. She played around seven minutes per game last season and now is second in the Big Ten in minutes, playing 34.2 minutes per game. She leads the conference in steals (2.8), and is eighth in the conference with seven rebounds per game.
“It’s extra impressive at her size,” noted Moseley on Porter’s board work. “She has the heart of a lion.”
“Everybody always talks about her height,” said Smith, “but Ronnie is just an all-around basketball player.”
Added Porter, “There was really no days off for me. I know what I am capable of. My teammates help me get to the point I am today.
“My coaches and the staff, there was never a day where they weren’t on me and I wasn’t on myself. I’m proud of myself,” said Porter.
“It’s about me helping her understand how to continue to be a floor general and be able to be a scoring point guard,” noted Coach Moseley. “It’s understanding things and when to push and when to pull back. She can play.”
“I wish she would shoot the ball a little bit more,” said her former assistant coach Smith, referring to Porter’s nearly 23-point scoring average as a senior, with 2,174 points in her high school career. “It’s fun to watch her play.”
Homecoming number one is in the books. Porter’s next two opportunities to play in town will be February 20, at Williams Arena and in March, at the Big Ten Tournament in downtown Minneapolis.
“It definitely will be better next time,” promised Porter
Finally…
Wisconsin is now 3-0 all-time against St. Thomas, but 1-0 as fellow Division I members. Last Wednesday’s game was part of UST’s “Beat Wisconsin” week.
Moseley says of her school’s newest Border Battle series with a Minnesota school, “I think Ruth [Sinn, UST coach] has done a great job. I think whenever you can get a Border Battle, whether it’s [U of M] or St. Thomas, it’s great for both programs.”
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