Simply One of the Best!

From Left to Right, Jackie (Motycka) Mossing, Lauren Prochaska, and Head Coach Curt Miller, honor Lauren after breaking Jacki's 22 year old BGSU career scoring record.

This past Valentine’s Day The Atlanta Tipoff Club announced the 2010-11 finalists for the Naismith Trophy, the most prestigious individual award in women’s college basketball, awarded to its best player. Only 30 individuals of the thousands of women’s basketball players across the country have made this list, and it is with great pride and pleasure to know that BGSU Senior Lauren Prochaska has been named a finalist! Even more impressive, she one of just six players on the list named from a mid-major university. This is an incredible honor, and we are so very happy and proud of Lauren!

But not totally surprised. Let’s face it – Lauren Prochaska is one of those special players that comes along once every few decades – if you’re lucky. We, as a team and program, as well as the BGSU community and our fans, have been blessed to have Lauren as a part of our Falcon Family. On February 5, 2011, on Alumni Day, against Ball State, Lauren had a typical performance, with 21 points (on just 14 shots), with 9 rebounds (4 offensive), and led us to a big win against Ball State. But no points were bigger than the two she got mid-way through the second half, when Lauren posted up a smaller guard from Ball State and made a lay-up, giving her the ALL-TIME scoring record in BGSU history! As if it were fate, not only was this Alumni Day, but it was the presentation of the All-Anderson Team, honoring 13 of the best women’s basketball players in BG history, including Lauren. Not only that, but Jackie (Motycka) Mossing, who had held the BGSU scoring record for 22 years, was there to present Lauren with the game ball after the victory, as she too was named to the All-Andereson team. It was truly a special evening, for a very special group of women, all part of a very special basketball program.

Three regular season games, and whatever we can do in the MAC Tournament, and hopefully a post-season tournament– that’s all that remains in Lauren’s career as a BGSU Falcon. Of the three remaining regular season games, two are home games – Saturday, February 26th vs Kent State (MAC TV Game of the Week, and the East Division Championship on the line!), and Wednesday, March 2nd vs Buffalo (Senior Night). Few chances remain to see one of the greatest players in the storied history of BGSU Women’s Basketball. Don’t miss your chance to see Lauren and the Falcons press on in their effort to win an unprecedented 7th divisional championship!

Editor’s Note: The evening this blog was to be posted (2/23/11), Lauren yet again showed us just how special she is, hitting a game-winning 3 pointer at Akron to push our record to 11-3 in the MAC, 23-4 overall, and in a showdown for the East Division Championship this Saturday (2/26/11) vs Kent State!