Red shirt junior guard Ashley Zuber of the women's basketball team doesn't follow the typical 'red shirt' meaning. Usually, the phrase means that a player purposely gave up a year of eligibility, usually his or her freshman year, in order to get an extra year later on.
Zuber is part of the minority, however, who had to use a medical red shirt. The 5-foot 4-inch point guard tore her acetabular labrum early last year and missed the rest of the season and will also be out for the beginning of the upcoming season until December.
'At this point, I pretty much have to listen to the doctor,' Zuber said. 'There is a certain amount of time that my hips have to heal coming off to surgeries. [Head coach Linda Hill-McDonald] can't wait to get me on the floor, but at the same time I have to take it easy and go when I'm ready.'
Maybe the reason Hill-McDonald can't wait for Zuber to return is because two seasons ago she led the team with 3.5 assists per game and also cashed in 6.5 points and two rebounds per game. Despite being undersized, Zuber has the ability to make plays and find the open man.
This skill was something she picked up early from her father.
'I chose basketball pretty much because my dad was a coach in high school,' Zuber said. 'He coached the men's team, so I was at the gym since I was two, playing around with the ball, and it is just my first love.'
Of course, for every first love, there is a second love. For Zuber it was softball. Before quitting the sport because of AAU commitments, Zuber played second base and hit lead off for Parkland High School. Along with her many basketball accolades, Zuber has quite a few for softball, including being named rookie of the year and an All-League selection as a freshman.
Zuber stopped playing softball her her junior year in order to pursue her dream of basketball. She started all 120 games for her high school basketball team and was named third team all state her senior year. She was also named first team all-area and all-league her junior and senior year, and she still holds Parkland's record for career assists.
Coming out of high school, Buffalo was not the only school looking at Zuber. George Mason, Vermont and Lehigh, among many others, knew Zuber's talent would help out their team, but Zuber wanted to go to a school with certain guidelines, and Buffalo would ultimately became that school.
'I got here and I loved it,' Zuber said. 'My high school graduating class was 800 people, so I was definitely looking for a big school, and the atmosphere and coaching staff was amazing when I got here.'
Zuber has made her presence felt, not only stats-wise, but also by time on the floor. In the two years she played in games, her minutes nearly tripled, from 352 in 2006 to 925 in 2007. Although sidelined last year, she was on the bench motivating her team to always push harder, which emphasizes her team-first approach.
'I want us to win as many games as we can,' Zuber said. 'I look at it from a team aspect. I just want to get back on the floor and help the team and play.'
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