Scoring comes naturally to Megan Whitaker.
"I've put in a lot of work to be able to be where I am to be able to score a lot and use my team to help me improve as a player and I know I couldn't do it without them," she said.
Megan Whitaker put up her 1,000th career point for the Springfield Rush last week. She's a sophomore.
"She's a great ball handler and has a nice outside shot," Rush head coach Greg Faulconer said. "But what sets her apart from a lot of athletes is she has a great 'Plan B'."
What exactly is Plan B? It's a core philisophy of the Rush program. Faulconer started the homeschool team (as well as several junior programs and a volleyball team) in 2008. He doesn't turn any athletes away. "It's up to us as coaches to get their God-given talent out of them," he said.
Plan B involves developing as many of those talents as possible.
"It's hard to describe," Whitaker said. "If my shot's not on, I'll drive more. Try to do something different that's not what I've been doing."
She's been homeschooled her whole life, and she appreciates the positive attitude that Rush provides.
"She's the heartbeat of the team," Faulconer said. "She knows it's her responsibility to take that trust that I've developed in the team and bring it to the floor."
She responds well to the positive vibes in practice.
"If I get yelled at all the time or if I was always getting put down then I probably wouldn't play as well as if I'm being lifted up a little more."
"What she feels what she thinks how she moves the ball is contagious and it moves throughout the team," Faulconer said. "She's keenly aware of that responsibility."
