Falcons’ Prochaska focused on success (03-08-11)

The stoic expression very rarely changes when Lauren Prochaska is playing.
The Bowling Green senior is focused on performing at a high level and helping her team get a win.
Whether it’s shooting a 3-pointer, eyeing the rim from the free-throw line, or playing top-notch defense,
Prochaska is all business when it’s game time, whether things are going good or going bad.
But behind that mask of concentration, there’s a college kid who likes to laugh and someone who has
matured into a young woman during her four years at Bowling Green.
"On the floor, she has a humble personality," said fellow senior Kelly Zuercher. "I make
fun of her. She’s so quiet on the floor and you sometimes don’t even know she’s there, yet she scored
30. It’s unbelievable.
"We call her our Moses. She leads us to the promised land."
"Sometimes you have to step back a little bit because you can take for granted what she does,"
said senior Maggie Hennegan. "Every game she is so amazing. You have to make sure you are giving
her credit because the things she does sometimes are phenomenal."
Prochaska has had plenty of practice not showing her emotions on the court.
"There’s a right place and a right time to express your emotions," Prochaska said. "There
are times when I get excited for my teammates, but I never want to show when I’m down or when I’m
frustrated. It’s just always something I’ve worked on. I try to keep it inside and play through it and
work through it."
For coach Curt Miller, Prochaska has been a joy to coach.
"Lauren is the most unassuming superstar I have ever been around," Miller said. "Everybody
knows who she is. But if you saw her on campus, you wouldn’t even realize (what a great basketball
player she is). People will talk about her for decades.
"A lot of young girls in this community look up to her because of how she carries herself on and off
the floor. They want to wear No. 2," Miller added. "At the swimming pool, they don’t play
Marco Polo anymore. They play Lauren Prochaska."
Off the court, Prochaska is a normal college student, cracking jokes and relaxing.
She especially enjoys the summer time.
"She loves the pool and the sun," said Jen Uhl, also a senior.
RECRUITING
At Jonathan Alder High School, Prochaska was a four-time first-team All-Ohio selection and back-to-back
co-player of the year in Division III. She averaged 32.2 points per game as a senior and finished her
career with 2,695 points (sixth all-time in Ohio prep history).
Besides her scoring ability, Prochaska was 5-foot-11 and an athlete.
That’s a resume for the top programs in the country to come knocking at your door.
That wasn’t the case as the bigger schools questioned her physical build and her toughness.
"When we realized that the Big Ten schools questioned her toughness, we almost hoped Lauren won’t
eat for the rest of her high school career so she would stay skinny and we could end up getting her
because of that," Miller said. "She’s so basketball-tough. I’m not sure we envisioned that she
would as good as she is. She was a special player in high school, and a lot of people overlooked
her."
Prochaska said the bigger schools showed interest in her at the start of the recruiting process, but as
time went on, the scholarship offers weren’t forthcoming.
"I wasn’t big enough and I wasn’t a good enough shooter," Prochaska was told by recruiters.
"They thought I was an in-betweener. They thought I won’t be successful."
It wasn’t a pleasant time for Prochaska, being told she wasn’t good enough
"It was the first time I faced that type of criticism with my game," she said. "It drove
me to want to be better.
"I don’t regret anything. If I had it to do all over again, this is where I would choose. I won’t
want to go anywhere else."
With the graduation of the seniors who took Bowling Green to the Sweet 16, the timing was right for
Prochaska at Bowling Green.
"I came in at the perfect time when they were losing a lot of people and needed people to step
up," Prochaska said. "I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to become a better
player here.
"I knew coach Miller would push me to be better."
Miller said Prochaska was "the jewel" of a strong recruiting class.
"When Lauren committed late to us I felt it was the finishing piece to that class," Miller
said. "She is even better than what we projected and we were her biggest fan.
"It’s been a perfect fit," Miller added.
THE COLLEGE BEGINNING
In high school, Prochaska was an outstanding 15-foot jump shooter and she was able to get to the
free-throw line, making an Ohio high school record 263 free throws in one season.
But, the Falcons needed a 3-point shooter, especially after the graduation of the Sweet 16 class which
included four of the top 13 3-point shooters in school history.
So Prochaska had to put in countless hours of practice on the 3-pointer, whether she was working at home
or at Bowling Green.
"When I first got here there were a lot of valleys, because I had never been made so much fun of for
my shot being so slow," Prochaska said. "I wanted to fix it right away. I got a lot of help
from the coaches being in the gym a lot, helping me shoot and pushing me to work hard.
"They saw something in me that I could be a better shooter. They really gave me the confidence to do
that."
The hard work paid off as she has made the second-most 3-pointers in Mid-American Conference history, 306
and counting.
"She’s obviously proven to be one of the best 3-point shooters in the conference history,"
Miller said. "You have to throw her up there as one best shooters in the country. That’s a credit
to her hard work because she did not take a lot of threes in high school."
THE PLAYER
With the 3-point shot in her arsenal, the success at the free-throw line and the ability to take the ball
to the basket and finish, Prochaska can take over games at the offensive end.
"She’s the best offensive player that I have ever coached," Miller said. "She’s a coach’s
dream. She does a little bit of everything to allow you to be successful.
"She just finds uncanny ways to be productive."
Opposing coaches will be happy to see Prochaska graduate.
"She lets everybody get their points. She’s participating and she’s distributing the ball, but when
it’s all said and done, you look up and she has 23 points and you’re like – ‘How did that happen?’"
said Ohio University coach Semeka Randall, who was an All-America and national champion at Tennessee.
"She’s just a player … She says it’s time for me to take over the game and she can do that as
well."
Bob Lindsay, the winningest women’s coach in MAC history, has seen a lot of great players in his career
at Kent State and has high praise for Prochaska.
"Lauren is just a great player," Lindsay said. "I can’t say enough about that kid. Her
basketball IQ is off the charts. She’s a great shooter. She just plays the game with a high level of
confidence and basketball smarts.
"She’s as good as just about anybody I’ve seen in this league in 22 years."
And while everyone sees the point production, Prochaska is also one of the top defenders in the MAC.
"The thing that continues to be underrated about her is that she is a great defender with her
length," Miller said. "She understands scouting reports and she does a great job of taking
away her player each and every night."
Even with all of her scoring prowess, Prochaska said defense is the biggest aspect of her game.
"I’ve always taken pride in my defense and trying to stop the girl I’m guarding," she said.
"I just try to be smart about who I’m guarding, understand what their strengths are and take those
away."
When her shot isn’t falling, Prochaska still plays hard at both ends of the floor.
"I know that I can do more than just score. That’s what you have to think of," she said.
"I try to get my teammates involved, make better passes, try harder on defense or rebound harder.

"But at the same time, I have to stay confident in myself. I just can’t stop shooting the ball all
together."
THE FUTURE
Prochaska isn’t ready to hang up her basketball shoes after her Bowling Green career ends.
"It’s definitely what I want to do if I get the opportunity, whether it’s here or overseas,"
Prochaska said about playing professionally. "That will be my biggest goal after I’m done
here."