Athlete of the week: Charrise Reece is the Biola senior guard for Biola women’s basketball. | Tyler Otte/THE CHIMES
The Biola women’s basketball team walked off the court following a 74-52 ousting at the hands of Union University. It was the end of the season for the Eagles, and for senior guard Charrise Reece, it was the end of a career.
Biola made a mad dash into the postseason, running off seven straight wins before dropping to Westmont College in the Golden State Athletic Conference semifinals. The Eagles progressed into the national tournament where they ran into Union University following a first round victory over NAIA No. 7 Lee University and a second round victory over No. 10 Langston University.
“We came back the last half of season and just went to work,” Reece said.
The season started off in a questionable position for the Eagles with head coach Ken Crawford stepping down at the end of last season and new head coach Bethany Miller filling in. But even with the transition, Biola never missed a beat.
“I think this was the smoothest transition [and] coaching change there has ever been,” Reece said. “I hear about other schools and coaches and they empty house, but us, she kept it consistent and did recruiting herself. It was real bittersweet that Crawford left, but if anyone, we wanted her and that’s great.”
Reece records milestones in unprecedented playoff run
Reece was huge for Biola in the tournament, averaging 15 points and 3.6 assists per game. She is the first Eagle to ever put up 1,000 points, 500 assists and 300 steals in a career.
“I don’t even keep numbers like that,” Reece said. “I guess it’s a lot. I just look at it and oh, it’s a lot of points, it’s whatever, but it’s good. I like it I guess.”
Since her freshman year there has been change within the program and the maturity of the players.
“Just doing it the Biola way, we set standards,” Reece said. “It’s been really cool to look back and be one of those people that set those standards. I guess being able to be part of a legacy.”
Reece is not the only one on this Eagle team who has played her final game. She is joined by fellow guards Lauren Gustafson and Emily Drews. All three were team captains this year, which only strengthened the bond they developed.
“It’s definitely been stronger now that we all three became the same role as captains,” Reece said. “I feel like we’re the three unit. We’ve been here, we’re the most experienced, we all started, we all knew our roles and we did it perfectly.”
Reece’s time at Biola full of growth
As with most college students, Reece has grown personally and reflected on what being at Biola has taught her.
“Patience, it’s taught me a lot of patience,” Reece said. “College basketball has taught me a lot about what being a point guard entails as in knowing the dynamics of your team, knowing situations. It’s just made me a lot smarter [of a] basketball player, how I look at situations and how I approach people. It’s allowed me to read people and I’ll take that with me wherever I go.”
Reece will have to get used to one thing: the lack of many key relationships in her life. Having played from such a young age, she is accustomed to more relationships being made with every new season and new team.
“It’s hard in the fact that the relationships won’t be there, I won’t constantly get new relationships, new teams and the relationships you have grow stronger and stronger, but I’ll definitely keep the ones that I have,” Reece said.
Even though the whistle has blown on Reece’s final Biola game, the sport will always be with her.
“Basketball is always going to part of my life. Maybe it’s over as in Biola-wise, but it’s always going to be part of my life. Maybe I’m going to do ministry through it, teach it,” Reece said.
