On a whim, it can be easy to describe a group of people as a family.
But for the women's basketball team seniors, they are about as close to a family as you can get.
Spend any amount of time with seniors Kate Walker, Ellie Pearson and Kathleen Molloy, and you could tell there's more than basketball that unites them. They finish each other's sentences and seem to smile, laugh and recall their careers so far in the same fashion.
For all the similarities - and obvious differences - they simply stand apart.
Their current record over four years is evidence enough of what will be a lasting legacy: The trio earned its 100th win last Saturday and is now looking forward to a possible fourth conference championship later this month and eyeing another NCAA Division III championship run in March.
In the midst of an unprecedented, 22-0 season, the leadership of the senior class is multifaceted. They produce on the court, and lead more by example than with words.
They have a 100-10 record to go along their leadership, personality and determination. And it's how their friendship inspired dedication to the program that might make them the greatest basketball class ever in DePauw women's basketball history.
Early signs of unmatched effort
It took just one meeting with head coach Kris Huffman for the then-freshman class to send out a call to be on the court.
With as many as 13 newcomers who had hopes of being on the team, a few players - including Walker, Pearson and Molloy - organized open gym practices to improve their game before the start of the season.
While the open gyms served to improve ability on the court, there also started a commitment to physical conditioning.
"I just remember thinking the speed of the game between high school and college was so much different," Pearson said. "I just remember going to open gym wondering if I would ever see the floor at all."
According Roger Dortch-Doan, DePauw's strength and conditioning coordinator, they did more than just hold their own open gyms.
He can't name a group that has had more consistent off-season attendance record at his performance enhancement series workouts during the week.
"Those three have been to so many of them I don't recall a time they're not there," Dortch-Doan said. "They see it as part of what they need to do. They get past the talk and just get out there and do it. They show up and work because they want to win."
The drive propelled Walker into the starting point guard roll for her first ever collegiate game, and has held the position ever since.
Pearson, playing behind two standout post players - Emily Marshall '10 and Jenna Fernandez '10 - came off the bench and played in every game like Walker.
For Molloy, however, she played in the shadow of even more players than Pearson. With the likes of Katie Mathews '11, Lauren Goff '11 and Brooke Osborn '11 ahead of Molloy, the guard appeared in just 18 games her freshman year and saw 78 minutes.
"It's tough not to play," she said. "But you're coming in to a great program so you can't be too discouraged by not playing because you have so many people lined up in front of you.
"I just changed practice into a game situation and I knew that it was there where I had to get better every day playing against these great people."
Their first year produced a 26-4 overall record and a second round loss in the NCAA championships to Hope College.
During their sophomore year, Pearson moved into a starting role, and Molloy still came off the bench and played limited minutes.
It didn't put a damper on her commitment to the team, and Molloy actually embraced her role.
"I've had a lot of different roles on this team," Molloy said. "I've had all the roles you can have. Each year I did whatever coach needed me to do and what the team needed me to do."
Their second season resulted in another Southern Collegiate Athletics Conference title, and a second berth to the NCAA tournament.
It also produced their second loss to Hope.
"Losing to Hope our freshman and sophomore years was almost a blessing at this point," Pearson said. "We're all such veterans that I feel so much more confident this year than I ever have because we all have each other's back, and we've been around the block."
Junior year: power of three
From seven players to three.
For many reasons, it's not uncommon for DePauw teams to drastically reduce in the number of players in a class.
In many cases, those who remain are those who put the sport above other things.
"To have that consistency and drive when you can get distracted by so many things as a young college student, they have stayed the course," Huffman said. "They have a level of commitment to this program that I have not seen before."
With so much time on the court, Walker and Pearson developed what they called a "Peyton Manning / Reggie Wayne" relationship.
"Ellie is so quick, so one of my favorite things to do is get a quick outlet pass from the post, look up the floor, and Ellie is down there waiting for me to throw her the ball," Walker said. "I know she's going to get the pass or die trying."
Molloy was finally inserted into the starting lineup her junior year, started every game and averaged 5.6 points per game. Similarly, Walker and Pearson averaged just more than six points.
Last season as juniors, along with forward Katie Aldrich '12, the Tigers went undefeated in their first season in the North Coast Athletic Conference, and again went to the NCAA tournament.
"Every year our record has gotten better," Pearson said. "We're progressing. I get goose-bumps just talking about it."
But every year, there are times when the going is tough.
During the month of January, Walker said that the season hits a bit of a rough patch where players get frustrated, and need to be pulled up.
"There are games that coach Huffman is livid with us," Walker said. "We may do really well and beat the other team by 20 points, and no one knows. But we know, and that's the problem. But that's what we play through."
That's also where a "family" comes in.
A different sort of close
This senior class has never lost two regular season games in a row.
With just 10 losses in their careers, none of those came on back-to-back occasions.
"We try and play a tough schedule so we never know what the record we'll end up with," Huffman said. "These three seniors are so competitive and they hate to lose anything they do. They bring that competitive spirit and a will to win."
In practice, Molloy and Pearson are regular competitors in running drills. They line up next to each other, and separate themselves from the rest of the team.
For Walker, she admittedly gets frustrated during practice with the athleticism of Molloy and others. But it's a part of a process of becoming better, and part of what makes the senior class stand out compared to others.
"We come to practice every day and work hard, and it's exciting to know we can be so much better and we know we have to be better," Molloy said. "Once regular season ends and we want to continue we have to keep working hard, and that's the good thing about our team."
After their 100th win Saturday - a 91-46 win where seniors combined for 17 points - they had no idea that they had reached the centennial until they were getting on the bus back to DePauw.
Pearson said it was a high point, but just a stepping-stone to where they want to be.
"In a few weeks, no one cares if we are 22-0," she added. "This is all great, this is fun and we're making history, but I don't care. I want to be No. 1 in March. I don't want to be No. 1 in January or February, we have our eye on the prize and we've seen how easy it is to lose."
Don't tell these three players they can be considered favorites to win the team's second NCAA championship. They'd tell you they have to get better, and the team is a work in progress.
In fact, the attitude has rubbed off from coach, to seniors, to younger players.
"They each bring something different, whether it's talking or working hard," sophomore guard Savannah Trees said. "It's easy to work hard when you watch them."
Added Huffman, "They have definitely left a legacy in my eyes. I love these three and I will miss them tremendously. I don't know if I've ever been as close to players as these three.
"They have a level of commitment to this program that I have not seen before. Regardless of what happens this will be one of my favorite teams of all time."
If there's a lasting legacy for these seniors, it might not be conference titles, NCAA appearances, overall record or work ethic.
To them, it's a bit simpler.
"We're all best friends," Walker said. "I wouldn't want to go through this with anyone else. There's no doubt in my mind that with these two girls with me, we're going to do great things.
And they'll do it together, dedicated and determined, just like every year.
- Clare Polega contributed to this article.
