Much of the media's attention is focused on the NCAA's Division I women's teams, but there is a lot of great basketball played at other colleges by a lot of great players. And one of the best is Emporia State University's Emily Bloss, who's currently leading NCAA Division II in scoring at 22.4 points per game for the 16-1 Lady Hornets.

The senior 6'0" forward is a 1997 graduate of Wellsville (Kansas) High School, where she lettered in cross country, volleyball, track, and basketball. Since coming to ESU, Bloss has improved her scoring average each year, pumping in 8.5 ppg as a freshman, 14.8 as a sophomore, and 16.1 as junior. Along the way, she's earned a reputation for playing hard-nosed defense, no doubt a factor in helping the Lady Hornets reach the D-II Elite Eight the past three seasons.

In the following interview, Bloss talks about attending a Division II school, her career goals, and why family and academics play such an important role in her life.

Gball: When did you first start playing basketball?
Bloss: I'm thinking it was probably fifth or sixth grade when I started going to the high school for Saturday morning basketball. I didn't really start competing until I was 14, when I started AAU ball during the summertime. I did that until I was a senior in high school--we went to nationals every year although we never won.

Did you have a knack for hoops from the start?
Definitely. I was always ahead of the other girls and a lot of the coaches in the small-town leagues were always impressed by how I had my shot down at such a young age.

What spurred you to choose a Division II school over a D-I program? Were you recruited by D-I schools?
Wichita State was the only Division I school that really came after me, although I did get letters from other schools. But I really wanted to play right away and make a mark of my own. Also, Emporia was really close to home, and I wanted to stay close so my family could come to watch me play. That's worked out really well.

Emporia set a school attendance record last year, drawing more than 2,200 fans per game. It must be nice to have that support, since a lot of D-I programs don't draw that well.
It's amazing here. Ever since my freshman year, it's been booming. A lot of my friends have gone to D-I schools and are just in awe of the crowds we get here.

It doesn't sound like you're lacking anything at a D-II school
Coach [Brandon] Schneider runs this team like a Division I program, and it's just amazing. I wish more kids would understand that D-II schools are just as competitive as D-I schools and not to be afraid to go D-II, since they have a lot of the same qualities.

Was it tough for you to adjust to college ball?
When I came to Emporia, I was the only freshman that year. We had Jurgita and Aneta Kausaite--Aneta went on to the WNBA--and those two were amazing to play against in practice. So I definitely had a lot of learning to do.

Are there any players who are role models for you?
Not specifically. I'm pretty much in awe of all the players who have gone on to play in the pros. Players I've played with here at ESU, like Tara Holloway [last year's D-II player of the year] and Jurgita and Aneta Kausaite, definitely are role models for me, and I hope I can fill their shoes by the time my season's over.

What part of your game has come the furthest since your freshman year?
Definitely my offense. Being tall, fast and quick, I always could play good defense. But being smaller than most other post players, I've had to learn how to use those strengths to my advantage on offense. So my scoring has improved a lot.

Are you a good rebounder, or is shooting a bigger part of your game?
I think shooting and defense are the two main things. I get in there and try to get as many rebounds as I can, but we have another post player who's much better at it. I really like playing defense. Ever since I've been a freshman, that's been our theme every year--"Defense wins you games."

You're the leading scorer in D-II as of this week. How do you like being the go-to player on your team?
I like it, but right now I'm struggling a bit because a lot of teams are seeing my numbers and are starting to double-team or triple-team me. And that's not very fun. But my teammates have hit their numbers, so we've kept winning.

Have you thought at all about playing in the WNBA?
A lot of people ask me that, but I can't say that's definitely what I want to do. I've never been one to be gung-ho that I wanted to play, but if the opportunity comes, I'd love to try. If not, basketball isn't everything in my life, and I'm kind of looking forward to getting out there and getting a real job.

Has it been tough for you to balance sports and academics at ESU?
Actually, it hasn't. In high school I was on the high honor roll and a member of the National Honor Society, so I made the transition to college academics real well. I had 4.0 GPA my freshman year and maintained that for awhile, and my GPA is around 3.97 now. So I enjoy school a lot and I always find time to do my work.

What led you to pursue the major of Health Promotions?
I really wanted to stay close to physical activity, and I like to promote health and healthy ways of living. It's something that I've enjoyed learning about. I'm doing an internship now at the Lyon County Health Department, and I'm really enjoying that. I do a lot of the media releases for them, so I get to work in the community. I haven't started job hunting yet--I think a lot of things might come to me from my internship. But, if not, I might continue my education and go to graduate school.

Do you have hobbies off the court? What do you do in your free time?
I love movies, but in my spare time, I love to go home. I'm the second of five children, and my younger siblings play basketball, volleyball, and run track. So on the weekends when I don't have practice, I go home to watch them compete. And they come to see me play, too, which is nice. But right now, basketball is really all I do.

Have you given your siblings any advice about sports?
Oh, yes. They're pretty young, so they have a lot more learning to do. But I try to help out as much as I can. My younger brother followed me to Emporia--he's a freshman, and thought about walking on to the basketball team here. My younger sister is a junior in high school and is a really big volleyball player. My youngest brother, who's in seventh grade, I really think he has a future in basketball.

It sounds like family plays a big role in your life.
That's true, which is why when you asked about the WNBA ... I've got three siblings I'd like to watch grow up, and if I go away to play pro ball, I'd miss out on that.

Photos courtesy of Emporia State University Sports Information.

Interview conducted by Gball Associate Editor Jim Catalano.


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