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Jan. 20, 2006

There is no doubt 6-7 center Cassie Hager changes the game, for her own team and her opponents.  Put yourself in the shoes of opposing coaches ...

...On Defense:  Double-teaming is a must under the basket and if you fail to challenge her long-range shot, she will sink one from behind the arc.  She nailed 18 three-pointers last season, ranking third on the team.

...On Offense:  Get ready to rebound a blocked shot.  Hager has blown away the Missouri Valley Conference blocked shot record with 271 career swats. She already has set the UNI record for blocks in a game (8) and season (135).

Height came naturally to the Perry, Iowa native; her ability to block Division I college shots is something that took hard work.  She was on top of the world as a senior in high school.  Hager and teammate Rachel Kautzky took the Bluejays to a state title and along the way, Hager set the school record in scoring and was named captain of the state all-tournament team.  She averaged more than 20 points, eight rebounds and nearly four blocks per game in her final high school campaign. 

"In high school, the only other centers I faced were about 6-0, maybe 6-2," Hager said.  "I just didn't have to do much to reject shots."

Freshman year at UNI came around and so did much stronger opposing posts, even some in the practice room. 

"Freshman year here was hard, transitioning and trying to stay down," she said. "I would jump and get into foul trouble.  Everyone was so much bigger and more physical than I was and so it was just frustrating. I could never get a good position and I hardly knew what I was doing."

Slowly but surely, her game came around.

"I have learned to stay down and read what my opponent is going to do," Hager said.  "The timing part of it is a huge thing - when I should extend to block the shot. I have learned to be a lot more patient."

In her first two years at UNI, Hager averaged 3.7 points and 1.6 blocks.  Last season, she more than tripled her previous numbers, leading the team with 13.3 points and 4.3 blocks per game.  She picked up nearly six rebounds per contest, despite sharing court time with UNI's all-time leading rebounder Alex Cook. She was named first team all-conference and all-defensive and clinched a spot on the MVC all-tournament team. 

Her dedication to Panther athletics has not gone unnoticed.  She was named to the 2005-06 MVC Preseason Team, voted on by league sports information directors, coaches and media. This season, she has claimed Player of the Week honors twice and was recently named MVC Scholar Athlete of the Week.

"This is one of the best stories of a high school athlete coming out that I have ever been a part of," 11-year head coach Tony DiCecco said.  "She really has matured as an individual.  Her game - her mobility and ability to score - has really blossomed.  She has evolved into one of the premier players in the league, no question about it."

Hager has many roles this season. She is one of only two centers on the squad and the reigning rejection queen. Most importantly, she is the lone returning senior starter and must fill leadership shoes unlaced by graduated seniors Cook and Emily Berry.  

"I talked to Alex and Emily a lot last year because I knew I would have to step up," Hager said. "The biggest thing I learned from Alex was that you can say all you want, but what you actually do and are seen doing on the court is what leads others to follow."