After three straight trips to the Sweet Sixteen, Iowa State wants more. They want to make it to the Elite Eight and Final Four. They want to go where no Cyclone women's basketball team has gone before.

The play and leadership of 6'4" forward/center Angie Welle may very well make or break those dreams. Welle lead the team in points scored, rebounds, and blocked shots last year, earning Big 12 Player of the Year honors. The senior from Fargo, N.D. (Shanley High School) began this season by being named a Naismith Preseason Candidate.

Iowa State is living up to its dreams so far. It boasts a 6-0 record and sits at the No. 5 slot in the Gballmag.com poll, with three games on the schedule this week.

Welle helps her team in just about every category. She has scored in double figures in 37 consecutive games, and averaged a double-double last season. She has connected for 29 and 23 points in two games this season and averages 37.3 minutes per game.

In this interview, she talks about her goals, what she works on in the summer, and the team's academic success.

Gball: What do you think of having been named a Naismith Preseason Candidate this season?
Welle: It is a huge honor. You hear all about it and you always see what names are on that list. I don't know if my name belongs there or not, but it was a really big honor for me.

Do you find honors like that a motivational tool, or does it create pressure and a distraction?
I really don't pay a lot of attention to it. For me, I just have so many other priorities right now that I don't even really notice it. My coach came and congratulated me in practice, and I didn't know what he was talking about. It's an honor, but that's all. Maybe ten years down the road I'll look back on it and think differently, but right now, it doesn't even phase me. I think it might even be motivation for other teams, because when they see my name on that list, they might be out to get me a little bit more.

Iowa State was listed among the top teams in this year's preseason polls. What's the team's outlook for this season?
Right now, the mentality of our team is just unbelievable. And it's unlike anything we've had in past years. Everyone is so focused and so determined right now, and we want to get to the Final Four so bad this year. That has been the biggest difference this year. You always talk about wanting to go to the Final Four and win the national championship. But this year, it's so realistic for our team, and we're so capable of doing it, that everyone is really motivated and willing to work hard this year.

You've been to three consecutive Sweet Sixteens. So what's it going to take for the Cyclones to go all the way this season?
We just have to have a lot of toughness going down the stretch. That's the hardest part for a lot of college teams. The season gets kind of long, your body gets tired, and you have to fight through that down to the end. It might sound selfish, but we're sick of just making it to the Sweet Sixteen, to be honest. We're ready to make that next step. And that's the biggest thing, having everyone on the same page and wanting it bad enough.

How does the NCAA tournament atmosphere affect you guys as players?
I think it helps. We draw so well at home anyway--we get 10,000 and 11,000 people each game--and that contributes so much energy and is such a fun environment to play in. And I'd rather play in an environment where there are 10,000 people cheering against me than playing where there's only 100 people at the game. It makes it so much more intense.

Fans consider you a consummate player. You score, you block, you rebound. Are there aspects of your game that you are dissatisfied with and wish you could improve upon?
I definitely think I make too many turnovers, and I need to just make better decisions with the ball. Being a senior, I can't be turning over the ball like I have been the past couple years. Sometimes I think coach wants to strangle me cause I'm making stupid mistakes that I made as a freshman. And I get the most frustrated with that. I need to not panic when I get the ball, cut down on my turnovers, and maybe develop my game a little bit more. I've been quite predictable when away from the basket, too, so I'm trying to go to the right a little bit more, to develop my game more rather than being so programmed and easy to guard.

Are those things you worked on this past offseason?
Yeah. It's something I work on every summer. I just have to keep working on it, and then I'll feel comfortable doing it in a game. And I think I am at that point where I am a little more comfortable and not panicking so much. So, hopefully that's paying off and I'll be a little smarter player this year than I have been in the past.

So many girls on your team have received academic honors and made the Dean's list, which is very impressive. Is that success self-created, or are there efforts by the coaches and athletic department that have been integral to your team's academic success?
It's a little of both. Everybody on our team is really driven, they know they want to succeed and have a good career after basketball. And when you see teammates studying and doing well in school, it feeds and filters throughout the team and makes everyone else want to do well.

But our coaches also totally emphasize academics. And so you don't have a choice. When coaches are emphasizing the services that are available, you take advantage of them and it pays off. And I think that's why you see a lot of academic success on our team. We have study tables available during the week, an academic counselor travels with us on the road to help us, and they let us bring laptops so we can work on papers during road trips so we don't get so far behind. They keep us on track.

Unlike a lot of serious players who make basketball their life in high school, you were actually involved in a lot of sports, academics, and clubs? Why did you choose not to focus exclusively on your game?
The biggest thing is, I love basketball. But I know I would have gotten burned out. I just had to do different things to take a break from basketball. So I'd play volleyball or I'd play tennis, or I'd spend time with my family. And I think if you focus on basketball all the time, it runs together, you don't really get a break, you peak too early, and you get burned out or quit later in life. I just wanted to do different things to give myself a break from basketball.

You're now involved in a club at Iowa State called Vortex. What's that?
It's like a leadership group for student athletes. You have to meet certain criteria to be part of it, like have a certain GPA, and it's a great program. It meets once a month and it helps you prepare for the future. We'll talk about writing resumes, team building activities, and do some volunteer work. It's a great program for helping us learn what life is like after you're done playing sports.

I joined because I had no idea how to write resumes and things like that. I think you have to look at the future and realize that it's a great thing to put on your resume.

How did you get started playing basketball?
Probably when I was in third grade, just doing Saturday morning leagues. One of my friends was going to do it, so I thought, "Okay, I'll try it." But it was nothing serious.

What appealed to you most about the sport?
I think it was being with my friends--social reasons when I was young. And those are the same reasons I do it now. I play basketball because I've made so many great friends.

Has your sister, Carrie, who played in college as well, been a big influence on your career?
She was. I was the younger sister and probably the typical little sister who wanted to do everything her big sister did. If she was going to go to the park, I was following right behind her. She played, so it was a given that I was going to play, too. If she had been a cheerleader, I probably would have been a cheerleader.

With all your success, you probably get interviewed a lot and have to answer many of the same questions. Is there anything you wish reporters would ask you about, for a change?
Sometimes, people think that basketball is our entire life. And for some people it is. But for me, I'd like people to know that it's not my life. I have to have plans for the future, and try to find a job. And I sometimes want people to see me not just as a basketball player--me in my uniform and a pony-tail--but to see a different side of me.

If you don't go on to play ball after graduation, what are the goals you've set for yourself?
I want to be a teacher. So hopefully I'll find a teaching job somewhere. It's going to be kind of a shock at first. I've been playing basketball my whole life, and going to a job every day will be a reality-check for me. But I think its kind of exciting, too. It's another point in your life, and you have to move on. Whatever happens, happens. I'm not putting a lot of stress on myself over what will happen. I'm just letting things fall where they may.

If you do go into education, will you stay involved in basketball?
I would love to maybe coach high school, or something like that. I could never coach at college, cause I think it's way too stressful and intense. But I know I'll follow basketball until I die.

Interview conducted by Gball Assistant Editor Shelly Wilson.


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