ESPN.com - ncw - Wyckoff leading way for 'Noles

Brooke Wyckoff was sitting in her Sociology class recently, minding her own business, when a fellow student yelled to the Florida State senior forward from a couple rows back.


	Brooke Wyckoff is averaging a team-high 15.8 points for the Seminoles.

"Hey ... Basketball!"

Wyckoff slowly turned around to see Seminole football player Chris Hope looking at her.

"Hey ... Basketball!" he yelled again.

The buddy beside Hope explained to him, "Man, that's Brooke Wyckoff."

Hope continued, "Hey, Brooke, you guys beat Duke, didn't you? Good job."

The exchange caught Wyckoff by surprise, and why not? In her four years in Tallahassee, not many students had asked her about basketball, much less recognized who she was. And suddenly here is a star defensive back on the football team quizzing her about hoops.

But in the land of the BCS, the blitz and the Bowdens, the buzz is about basketball these days, and the possibility of the women's first trip to the NCAA Tournament in a decade. And Wyckoff, a 6-foot-1 forward averaging a team-high 15.8 points, is the talk of the town.

It's a position Wyckoff, an unassuming young woman, is not completely comfortable with. But she certainly deserves the attention.

"She has meant everything to this team," fourth-year coach Sue Semrau said. "I couldn't think of a more perfect person to be going through this season with than Brooke."

Call it the resurrection of the Florida State program. Five years ago, the 'Noles were 5-22 with an 0-16 record in the ACC. The following year, Wyckoff arrived with Semrau's new coaching staff. The foundation for the future was in place.

"My goal was to come in and play right away," Wyckoff said. "I was recruited by some other ACC schools, but part of the draw of Florida State was to have an immediate impact and build something. I wasn't recruited by coach Semrau, but I knew she would do good things so I came here anyway."

It has taken some time, but good things are finally happening in Tallahassee. Wyckoff and her teammates fought through three seasons, winning just nine games as a freshman, seven as a sophomore and then 12 games last year. This season, the 'Noles have reached the big time at last, and are working on a 20-win season and a trip to the promised land -- the NCAA Tournament.

"I can't even project what that would feel like," Wyckoff said. "We've thought about it every day. It's our goal to get there, but I still can't imagine walking on the court. We just want to keep winning and if we get to the NCAAs, why not stay as long as possible?"

The Seminoles can probably get their party dresses cleaned and pressed because a trip to the Big Dance looks inevitable. Florida State sits in second place in the ACC, a conference with the second-best RPI in the country.

After the Seminoles' road upset of fourth-ranked Duke on Feb. 8, Chris Hope and the football players took notice. The football coaching staff even sent a bouquet of flowers to Semrau's staff, calling it the most exciting win in the program's history.

Last Sunday, the Seminoles took on North Carolina in Chapel Hill at the same time the FSU baseball team was hosting bitter rival Florida. The Seminoles' staff in the baseball press box was constantly on the phone to Carmichael Auditorium, getting updates on the basketball game. When Florida State beat UNC in overtime and the score was announced, the baseball crowd gave a boisterous ovation.

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"A funny thing happens when you win," Wyckoff said. "People on campus start noticing and more fans start showing up for games. It's news when even the football players are talking to us about basketball."

Women's hoop fans around the country are also taking notice. Florida State is poised to break into the Top 25 and the NCAA Tournament selection committee can't ignore the vast improvements the 'Noles have made this season with Wyckoff leading the way.

Florida State already is guaranteed its first winning season since 1992, and for the first time ever, the Seminoles have notched nine wins in ACC play. They also have learned how to win away from home, posting a 4-3 road record in conference play. That's more road wins than in the previous five years combined (just 3-37).

Should the Seminoles remain in second place, it'll mark their best ACC finish ever as they wrap up the regular season ahead of traditional powerhouses like Virginia, N.C. State and North Carolina. Coach Semrau credits Wyckoff for leading the charge.

"She has been the difference for us down the stretch," Semrau said. "She understands that we need her, that we look to her. She used to be reluctant to take over because she was too unselfish. Now she wants to be the one."

Wyckoff was indeed the one in the upset of Duke, scoring 20 points and grabbing eight rebounds. She was the one against North Carolina when, in the final minute of overtime, she nailed a crucial 3-pointer and then blocked LaQuanda Barksdale's game-tying shot in the final seconds.

"I realized after we lost to N.C. State (on Jan. 29) that I needed to pick it up," said Wyckoff, who is shooting 47.8 percent from the field and also averaging 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists. "Something clicked during that loss and I gained a lot of confidence from making plays and hitting shots. That's when I started taking the initiative more, creating more.

"It wasn't a conscious thing, I just did it and the confidence carried over into the other games. After all the lows of the past few years, it has been unbelievable to beat teams like Duke and North Carolina."

Wyckoff's confidence has rubbed off on her teammates. Last season, they played 20 games decided by ten points or less, and lost 13 of them. They were just 2-7 in games closer than five points.

This season, the numbers have reversed. Florida State has won seven of 10 games decided by ten points or less. The 'Noles are 5-2 in games decided by five points or less.

"Experience has been what's helped us," Wyckoff said. "All the tough losses last year, we had to believe they were preparing us for something. We had to believe they would help us somewhere down the road. Now we are down the road and we are winning the close ones.

"Being together through the adversity helped us grow together as a team."

Experience has become the cornerstone of Wyckoff's game. For the past three summers she has travelled the globe as a member of USA Basketball teams. She wasn't chosen because of her statistics or for any one aspect of her game. She made the team because of her versatility and the fact that the coaches and other players loved having her around.

In 1998, she toured with the U.S. Select team. In 1999, she started for the World University Games team. Last summer, she roomed with All-American Jackie Stiles on the U.S. Jones Cup team, the most prestigious U.S. amateur team.

"Jackie is so cool," Wyckoff said of her summer teammate, who is on the verge of becoming the NCAA's all-time leading scorer. "She's like a rock star to the fans at Southwest Missouri State, and yet she is so humble and such a hard worker. She has natural talent but she pushes herself so hard, with tremendous drive. I thought, hey, I can use some of that, too."

"Playing for USA Basketball ... has made me stronger and has been the perfect opportunity for me to build my game."

Semrau agrees.

"Brooke may not be the most talented player, but she makes the most of every asset she has," the coach said. "Look at what she has built for Florida State. She's standing on the foundation watching the walls go up."

And through good times and bad, Wyckoff has enjoyed the construction project.

"On one hand, I'm sure it would have been great to win tons of games," she said. "It would have been nice to play in four NCAA Tournaments. But on the other hand, it's been really neat being a part of the building process. We are almost there."

Football is still king at Florida State, but basketball is having its day in the sun. And for the time being, there is a new big man on campus. And her name is Brooke.

Hey ... Basketball ... good job.

ESPN's Beth Mowins is a regular contributor to ESPN.com's women's college basketball coverage.

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