By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Gabi Artis' focus these days is on developing as a college basketball player for Washburn University.
But the former Bishop Miege star will never forget her late high school coach, Terry English, and the things he did to help get her ready to take that next step.
Washburn freshman Gabi Artis, a three-time state champ at Bishop Miege, is coming off a career-high 11-point night in Thursday's 57-40 win over Bethany. [File photo/TSN]
English, who passed away on Oct. 11, was Artis' head coach during her first three high school seasons and served as an assistant coach during her senior season after Terry turned the head coaching reins over to his son, Jeff, for the 2021-2022 season.
Artis and English were part of three Class 4A titles at Miege while English was part of 23 state championships and compiled an amazing 910-168 career record. He had planed to return to the Miege bench as head coach this season before passing away at 72 years old after a stroke.
"It was heartbreaking,'' Artis said. "Honestly, I didn't believe it when they told me. He was going to come back to coach this year and it's still just settling with me. It was such a shock and it just broke my heart.''
Artis, who has made an immediate impact as a freshman for the Ichabods, credits English for helping her develop as a player and person.
"He helped me a lot -- basketball, personal,'' Artis said. "We were really close. I feel like our practices in high school were ran like college practices and I think it prepared me well.
"He was really tough on me in practices and he would be like, "Gabi, you're going to go play at Washburn, you need to do this,' and would coach me through everything and boost me up when I needed to be and bring me down when I needed to be.''
Artis, who missed time earlier in the season with an ankle injury, is coming off the best game of her young college career in Thursday's 57-40 home non-conference win over Bethany, scoring 11 points with three pointers while also contributing seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
Washburn coach Lora Westling said Thursday's game, the Ichabods' first coming off the holiday break, could be just the start of many more great nights to come for the 5-foot-10 guard.
"I think Gabi has such a high ceiling,'' Westling said. "Obviously she was a really great player in high school and had a good start for us, but there are some things there that she has to develop collegiately. She had a great night (Thursday), but it's not a mystery. She's had a couple of really great practices in a row. It was obvious she didn't go on break and just sit down. She worked out, she came in ready and it paid off.
"I think the biggest challenge for her is just learning the difference between being a good high school player and a good college player and making sure those habits stay steady and help her be a great college player.''
Washburn will play the final game of the 2022 calendar year on the road at Central Oklahoma at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
The Ichabods evened their overall record at 5-5 with Thursday's win over Bethany while Central Oklahoma (4-6, 1-5 MIAA) has lost four games in a row and last played on Dec. 18 at Nebraska-Kearney, falling 73-52.
Washburn is averaging 53.9 points per game and has a 37.5 field goal percentage.
The Ichabods are second in the league and sixth in all of Division II in fewest points allowed per game, holding opponents to just 52.4 points per game.
Through 10 games Washburn has not allowed more than 64 points in a game and has held three opponents to 45 or fewer points, with two of those games occuring in the past three contests.
Junior guard Aubree Dewey leads the Ichabods in scoring at 11 points per game, in assists with 3.5 per game and steals with 1.4 per game.
Dewey is shooting 41.4 percent from the field and led Washburn with 12 points against Bethany, her fifth double-figure scoring game of the season.
Freshman Natalia Figueroa is averaging 8.5 points and 3.5 rebounds and leads the Ichabods with 19 made 3-pointers while Mackenzie Gamble has made 17 3-pointers and averages 7.3 points.
Emma Chapman averages 6.8 points and is tied with Macy Doebele for the team-lead in rebounds with 5.3 boards per game.
Three Central Oklahoma players rank in the top 20 in the conference in scoring, led by Alayzha Knapp's 15.9-point scoring average.
Karly Wadsworth average 12.8 points while Brooke Rayner averages 11.8 points and 4.0 assists.
Washburn will open 2023 at home with games against Central Missouri on Jan. 5 and Lincoln on Jan. 7.
