by Cody Bashore, Lumberjack Insider
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (March 7, 2019) – With her four-year tenure as a Northern Arizona Lumberjack nearing its end, senior Kaleigh Paplow achieved a feat no other player has in program history.
Thanks to her 14 assists and two steals during the Lumberjacks' pair of victories against the Montana State Bobcats and Montana Lady Griz in the past week, Paplow moved into the top 10 of the program's respective all-time lists. Previously, the senior already reached the top 10 in scoring, rebounding and minutes played.
Now the only player in school history to rank in the top 10 of all five categories, in addition to others including field goals made and free throws made, Paplow can still climb even higher in her remaining games. With her current season averages of 36.4 minutes, 13.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.8 steals as of March 7, Paplow could finish fifth in scoring, third in rebounding, ninth in assists and fifth in minutes played.
However, Paplow's focus for the end of her Lumberjack career is much more team-oriented than just filling up her own stat sheet. With a 5-3 record since Feb. 7, a three-game win streak in the Walkup Skydome and the program's first home sweep of the Montana schools since 2002, the season's stretch run is proving to be a success.
"I've always been someone who goes by wins and losses, I don't really care about my statistical performances," said Paplow, who hit a game-winner with 0.7 seconds left on the clock against Sacramento State to start the home win streak. "A win for me would be ending this season off positively. Winning the Big Sky Championship would be the only win in my eyes."
The senior's point of view doesn't come as a surprise to her head coach Loree Payne, who has seen Paplow's positivity for the past two years.
"She has shown a lot of growth, she has shown a tremendous amount of leadership," Payne said of the four-year player. "I think she sees the potential, she sees that we could finish very strong her senior year, so I think there is always that hope."
"We could be playing UConn tomorrow and Kaleigh would believe we had a chance to win the game, just because if we played hard enough and played to our potential, we could beat anyone," Payne added. "That's what I love about her. She has a very, very positive outlook when it comes to what could be and the games we can win."
WORKING THROUGH THE PROCESS
Recruited by Sue Darling before the 2015-16 season, Paplow spent one year under her first head coach before playing her sophomore year with interim head coach Robyn Bostick leading the Lumberjacks from the bench.
Those first two seasons proved to be a struggle for Paplow, who said injuries and a lack of consistent playing time spoiled the first year of her collegiate career.
"I have always been a hooper, I have always wanted to play," Paplow said. "So when I am not playing, that was definitely not a lot of fun."
The change in coaches led to a different feeling for Paplow, but her second collegiate season also came as a struggle. While Paplow's minutes played took a leap during her sophomore season, as did her numbers in nearly every other statistical category, another rough season filled with uncertainty proved to be a challenge.
"I have definitely been tested and challenged freshman year until now, especially just being in a non-winning program as well," Paplow said, adding transferring away crossed her mind after her second year with a third coach coming in. "I don't like to lose. Just staying positive, remaining with the team and remaining as a family has been a challenge as well."
PAYNE'S ARRIVAL
While six seniors graduated in 2017 as Payne arrived in April of the same year, six others remained in the program. Newly hired and looking to refill the roster, Payne said each of the six returners were all in different situations.
"Kaleigh had an opportunity to leave, but she really wanted to see what was going on," Payne said, with a few others departing for other Division I opportunities. "I knew she was a very good player, I knew that she could be a very strong leader for us, I knew she could be a huge part of what we were trying to do here."
Both Payne and Paplow admitted the latter's priority with the new staff was an open, transparent line of communication.
"The first thing I realized about Kaleigh is she is all about relationships, trust and loyalty," Payne said. "Those are all things I feel like I have proven in my career leading up to NAU. I think initially she was excited about that and as we got to talk, and she got to understand these are the things we are trying to bring, I think it was something that she had not had before."
Paplow said she felt the vibe leaned more positive than it had in the past and wanted to help work toward changing the program's culture.
"That goes for the players as well as the coaches," Paplow said. "Just having an open relationship and being able to build on and off the court has made it easier to me to fall into a leadership role."
Adding that she felt Paplow came in wanting to stick around and would need a reason to leave, Payne said she felt she and her new staff never gave the then-sophomore a reason to go, only confirming her desire to stay in Flagstaff.
Payne stressed stability, structure and honesty among an open line of communication between all parties involved were the keys to bringing Paplow and the other returners on board. And while the past season and a half have yet to produce the team success Paplow and Payne are looking for, the former is much happier than her first two years.
"I would say now I am the happiest off the court," Paplow said. "Just having some consistency and transparency with my coaches has made it easier for me as a player on and off the court."
LAST WOMAN REMAINING
In four years with the Lumberjacks, Paplow has had 34 different teammates along with the trio of head coaches.
Among all the change and coming and goings, Paplow is the last member of her recruiting class still in the program. With the two other freshman transferring away and Kenna McDavis and Olivia Lucero graduating last year, Paplow will be one of just two Lumberjacks graduating after this season and the first to spend all four years of her playing career at Northern Arizona since the five players did so in the class of 2016-17.
While Payne has only coached Paplow for two of her four years in Flagstaff, the Lumberjacks head coach admitted she hasn't seen many players like the senior in her coaching career.
"She is very strong and a really hard kid to referee. She is involved in everything," Payne said. "If the ball is on the floor, Kaleigh is on the floor. If there's a rebound going up, Kaleigh is there. She is everywhere and I think it just takes a lot of effort, it takes a lot of heart and it takes a lot of passion to do that."
Payne's highest praise for Paplow came as a result of the senior's "fire for 40 minutes and every single practice."
"The kid loves to practice, just as much as she loves to play games," Payne said. "That's very unique. You can look across the country at every Division I school and I'm sure there's a lot more that like to play games and not practice, than ones that see them equally. Kaleigh loves basketball and it is everything that is who she is, it makes up every piece of her and that is hard to find."
Playing alongside 11 freshmen and sophomores this season, a year after doing the same as a junior, Paplow faced the stress of keeping that passion while being one of the few upperclassmen in the program.
Leading the Lumberjacks per game in minutes, points, rebounds, assists and steals, Paplow has faced pressure both on and off the court. Consistently improving her performance year to year, and starting Northern Arizona's last 74 games as of March 7 dating back to the middle of her sophomore season, Paplow said the grind was a struggle when she didn't play to her own expectations.
"Consistency has been a little hard for me just because I have put so much pressure on myself to play well. That's something I have been struggling with and just trying to work on. Stay positive if I am not playing the way I want to play every single game," Paplow said. "But I think that has allowed other teammates and other people to step up, which has been a bright light for us."
Note: Kaleigh Paplow, along with senior Tate Tsingine, will play their final home game on Saturday versus Northern Colorado at 2 p.m. in the Walkup Skydome.
