Bucknell University Athletics
Novacek Growing Up Fast
1/19/2009 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 19, 2009
By Becky Hart, Bucknell Athletic Communications
Some teams struggle to balance youthful exuberance with veteran experience, but Bucknell women's basketball has found the perfect combination of both in a single player. Although just a sophomore, Joyce Novacek has installed herself as one of the Bison's go-to student-athletes on and off the court.
With just three upperclassmen on the roster, youth is a major component of the 2008-09 Bison. Seniors Amanda Brown and Lauren Schober are consistently in the starting lineup, while the remaining spots for the starting five continue to be filled by freshmen and sophomores and put young players like Novacek into key roles that many teams around the country would not expect their sophomores to fill yet. Of the team's first 10 games, Novacek started nine. That streak extends to 20 of 22 going back to the end of her freshman season. Despite becoming an important cog in the Bison's lineup last year, acting as a kind of veteran is new to the 6'2" forward.
"It's definitely a transition because last year, it was never that way for me with five seniors and a lot of upperclassmen who were more experienced," says Novacek. "I was always the youngest, and now this year already I'm usually the older one. When I lift weights, my partner is a freshman as opposed to last year when my partner was Hope (Foster) or Schober. Now it's Trish (Krewson) or Alison (Nahra). So it's different. I have to be the one pushing people as opposed to being pushed. It's different, but it's also good."
Last season provided plenty of opportunity for the current Bison to gain experience in high pressure situations while coming out on top. After going 13-15 through the regular season, Bucknell made an improbable run through the postseason. Despite being picked to finish first in the Patriot League before the start of the season, the Bison finished fifth. They rallied in the end, winning their final regular-season contest against Army before claiming three consecutive victories in the Patriot League Tournament to bring back the title and automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. That success, coupled with back-to-back Pennsylvania state championships in high school, prepared Novacek for taking on more responsibility in the new year.
"You can get in the habit (of winning) and then you have the mindset that once you go on the court, you're going to win regardless of the current score or how much time is left. I feel like, especially right before the championship game, we knew we were going to win," remembers Novacek. "That's how it was always in high school. My team was 30-3 my junior year and 31-2 my senior year. So you just really got in the mindset of winning and I think that's something that we really want to do this year in Patriot League play. Maybe some people never had that experience of always going on the court knowing they're going to win, but I feel like that's an important thing to impose upon other people. Let them know that you feel confident you're going to win and they are, too. I think that's one of the most important things you can have is the confidence in yourself and in your team that you're going to get the victory."
The habit of winning can partly be credited to Novacek's family as well, where sports and competition have been commonplace. Novacek and her twin sister, Becky, who plays volleyball at the University of Dayton, benefited from the support and motivation from their father, Jim, and his family. Jim Novacek played football and was a pole vaulter at Rose-Hulman Technical Institute, while his brother, Jay, won a Super Bowl as a tight end for the Dallas Cowboys.
"I've lifted weights with him (my dad) since the eighth grade in my basement. He's really into it, really involved. In the summer, he'll come out to the track and time me as I train for the mile test. He's good; he's very supportive about it. It's the same thing with my mom. She's always at my games," says Novacek. "My dad's definitely been there sports-wise since we were younger, trying to help us work toward this level. And he wears every day of his life, either a Bucknell shirt or a Dayton shirt. We always joke with him. He's really into it."
Something that Novacek is really into, although she humbly denies being any good at is, is rebounding. Novacek has started the season as one of the league's top rebounders and even spent several weeks ranked first in offensive boards.
"I like offensive rebounds. Defensive rebounds, I usually just try to not let my player get the ball and then go from there," explains Novacek.
Going into the 2009 portion of the schedule, she has since dropped into a tie for third with teammate Cosima Higham in offensive rebounds, demonstrating her, and the team's, commitment to cleaning up on the glass. As a squad, Bucknell remains one of the top two teams in the league in rebounding, which is both a great source of pride for the Bison and a key to their early success.
"Rebounding is really important, especially once we hit Patriot League play," emphasizes Novacek. "At the beginning of the year we were getting outrebounded and then we started picking up. We outrebounded Penn State. That was a big accomplishment.
"We take it (rebounding) seriously," she adds. "It's always a goal for us to outrebound the other team by a certain number. It's not something we take lightly. It's an important part of the game offensively and defensively. We obviously don't want to give the other team second shots, and we want our shooters to keep shooting so we need to get (offensive boards) for them so they don't shy away."
Nor is the team shying away from the opportunity to make a big splash again in the Patriot League. Many people associated with the team were disappointed at being chosen to finish fifth in this year's preseason poll, and Novacek sees each league game as a way to reassert themselves as belonging at the top of the standings.
"I think every game is important. You can't take anyone lightly," says Novacek. "To everyone we play we want to send a message that we deserve a higher spot than that. It's what we've been working for all preseason and pre-conference play. It's something we've been preparing for, and I feel like we're coming along and I think we're going to be ready to play Navy in our first game."
Mirroring Novacek's success on the court are her achievements in other areas of her life, especially the classroom. In addition to her business-oriented classes, the management major, who would like to also major in English, is supplementing her course load with English classes. At the conclusion of the fall semester, Novacek had earned a perfect 4.0 grade-point average for the second time in three semesters.
Although only a sophomore, Novacek has begun to plan her professional career, hoping to use her management and English background for a career in public relations or a similar field.
"I have always wanted to do something with the people side of management, maybe public relations, communications, human resources," says Novacek. "I want to work with people, but also understand business, understand what's going on. I have been thinking about grad school, too."
Being able to seamlessly combine athletics and academics is a common reason many of Bucknell's student-athletes hose to attend the university, and the Aliquippa, Pa., native is no different. After having a "breakthrough year" in basketball as a high school junior and being recruited by several universities such as Patriot League foe Lehigh and Marist, Novacek eventually settled on Bucknell for its reputation in and out of the gym.
"I really liked the academic standards here. That was what put (Bucknell) before Marist on my list. It was a really high academic school. It has a really good reputation. I love the campus and the facilities. I felt that this basketball program was a competitive one in the league. I knew we'd be playing at the top of our league, not in the middle of the pack even. Also, I felt that Patriot League was a league that I could have an impact in."
Novacek's impact extends into the Lewisburg community as well. As a member of the basketball team, she has had several opportunities to work with children in the area and make a difference in the lives of her neighbors off campus. The team recently visited a local community center and a Ronald McDonald house.
"It's really fun," exclaims Novacek. "It's good to see our team in that environment. I feel like so many people on our team are so personable and good at working with other people. I feel like that's something we really have going for us and I really enjoy it."
Novacek has even been able to combine her efforts in the classroom with those in the community. As part of her Management 101 class last year, her "company" developed a product with the profits going back into the community. Novacek, who served as Vice President of Service for her company, helped design shirts and used her resources as an athlete to promote the product.
"We sold polo shirts that had a little Bison embroidered on it and when you popped the collar it said `Bucknell' on the back," Novacek describes. "Since I have access to Sojka, our motto was `Be a baller, pop your collar,' and we got G.W. (Boon) and Darryl (Shazier) and Le'Le' (LeSeur) and Schober to stand there, wearing the clothes."
The money made from the venture went into projects with the RiverWoods nursing care center.
In her short time at Bucknell, Novacek has brought the same youthful energy she has on the court to all other aspects of her life. And with more than two years remaining in her career, Bison fans will have plenty to look forward to as she continues to gain experience in the gym, the classroom and the community.
