July 20, 2007
By Susan Bedsworth
Since graduating from Penn State, Maren Walseth has traveled as far away as France to play basketball professionally. Walseth has finally returned to the place she called home for more than four years as a player to become one of the new assistant women's basketball coaches. She couldn't be more thrilled.
"It's exciting," she said. "I think people always want to go back for Homecoming or sporting events. But I think deep down, you always hope you'll go back to coach."
Walseth described her time here at Penn State as a "wonderful experience." Like any college student, there were days she hated it but she loved the challenges she had both athletically and academically. She feels having a degree from this institution speaks volumes about a person and is quite an accomplishment.
She was a freshman in 1998 when the Lady Lions won the WNIT and a junior when the squad went to the 2000 NCAA Final Four. When asked what she learned in such a high pressure environment, Walseth took some time to think it through. As a freshman, she admits, she feels she was a bit naïve. "At that point, I didn't really feel the pressure because we had some great team leaders," said Walseth.
The Final Four, while exciting, was made out to be "just another game" by the coaches. Walseth said she and her teammates understood the magnitude of the situation but that it was 10 kids having fun and making memories. "You felt special being a part of it," she said.
After Penn State, Walseth headed off to play professional basketball in Sacramento, Calif., Washington D.C., Colorado and France. Playing professionally, especially overseas, is a huge honor according to Walseth. It is an experience she wishes everyone would look into.
Living in France, or any foreign country, is much different than just visiting for a short time. Admittedly, Walseth was nervous. "I took Spanish in high school and college," she said. "I could count to four and say oui in French, but that was about it."
"I went in with the mentality that even if it sucked, I can at least say I did it." It turned out to be a wonderful experience and she stayed for two years.
After playing professionally, Walseth headed into coaching and fell in love with it. Before arriving at Penn State, Walseth was an assistant coach at the United States Naval Academy. While the basketball setting is similar to any other college, the young women have a commitment to the United States that stands above everything else. The young women are also willing to go above and beyond all the time because that is the expectation of the academy. "It was a great experience to work there," said Walseth. "I was proud to be with them and have a deep respect for the Midshipmen."
Maren Walseth helped lead the Lady Lions to the 2000 Final Four. |
Walseth is now back here at Penn State to continue her coaching career. One may wonder, how or if Walseth plans to use her degree in broadcast journalism as a reporter or writer. Walseth believes that even though she is not using her degree in the normal way, she uses it every day as a coach. "I have to communicate with the players, the other coaches and the media," she said. Her degree has made her able to do those things effectively.
Walseth said she might consider doing some commentating down the road but for now she wants to coach. "I love the teaching aspect of it," said Walseth. "I love seeing the light bulb go on and the excitement when they realize they've done something right."
While Walseth does not have a ton of downtime these days, there are plenty of things she likes to do when she does have some time to relax. "I am very close with my family and love to spend time with them," she said. "I love keeping up with everyone's schedules and getting the play-by-plays of games that my cousins played in."
Down the road, Walseth would love to travel to Australia. After being in Europe and being stateside for quite some time, she feels it would be another great experience. Walseth would also like to spend some time as a "normal person." "It would be nice to relax and step away," she said.
For now though, Walseth is content to be a Lady Lion again. She got to travel far away, and also got her start in coaching, but she is back to her college home where she is very excited to start helping the Lady Lions move toward their goals for the future. "It may not be a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. job, in fact it's a 24 hour a day job, but I don't feel like I'm coming to work every day. I'm excited to be back."