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Mar. 21—BROOKINGS — Winning and playing in big games is part of the South Dakota State University women's basketball experience.
As a true freshman, Emilee Fox is getting to enjoy all of it for the Jackrabbits this season, just as she hoped when she was growing up in Mount Vernon and had the chance to watch SDSU as a young fan win Summit League tournament championships and NCAA tournament games.
That journey for Fox and SDSU continues on Saturday, as the Jackrabbits take a 29-3 record and a No. 10 seed into Storrs, Connecticut, to take on No. 7-seeded Oklahoma State in the first round of the NCAA tournament at 2:30 p.m. Central on Saturday.
"It's surreal. I mean, growing up as a kid, I was always a Jacks fan, and I came to these tournaments, and now being able to be a part of this and to win, it's amazing," Fox said in the aftermath of the Jacks' 84-68 conference tournament victory on March 10 over Oral Roberts in Sioux Falls.
The 5-foot-8 guard has been called upon in all 32 Jackrabbit games this season off the bench, playing both point guard and shooting guard. She's averaging 3.5 points per game and shooting 39% from the field, including nearly 35% on 3-pointers. She set a career-high for minutes played (25), rebounds (five) and assists (six) in SDSU's Summit tournament quarterfinal win over Omaha. She had a career-high 12 points in a Jacks' win at Montana in December.
Fox has been able to learn the point guard trade behind senior standout Paige Meyer, the first-team all-Summit League player who was the Summit League tournament MVP and will end her Jackrabbit career as the program's Division I leader in career assists.
"It's been great to learn, and I think having all these upperclassmen, super-talented players, you can bounce anything off of them," Fox said. "They're super helpful role models for me, so I think that's been the main thing that's been so helpful."
Fox has been committed to playing for the Jackrabbits since fall 2021, which was her sophomore year in high school at Mount Vernon. For the Titans, she scored a program record 2,260 points in six seasons, had Class A all-state recognition five times, and hit 131 3-pointers in her senior season, which was a new single-season girls record.
As a young Jackrabbit fan, she had pictures with players like Macy Miller, who is now an assistant coach for Fox and the SDSU team after being a star guard for the Jackrabbits.
"She's so good at what she does, and a really good coach," Fox said. "She's kind of been in the same position, so she's easy to relate to, and it's a super good relationship."
It's been a special year to be on the Jacks' roster, with SDSU rattling off 19 wins in a row and holding a top-25 ranking in both national polls. A win over the Cowgirls would give SDSU a 30-win season for only the third time in program history. Three SDSU players average in double figures each game, and five players average at least eight points per game, making for all kinds of scoring options, Fox said.
"I think that's what makes us a really good team, is just everyone contributing," Fox said. "We all blend together well, and I think anyone can have a big night. That's just what makes us really good and tough to stop for an opponent."
Playing in her first NCAA tournament on Saturday is an idea that Fox calls "insane," but add it to the list of firsts she's been able to check off in her freshman season.
"I honestly still can't believe it because that's something you watch every year on TV as a young kid," she said, "so just being able to be a part of that now, I can't wait."
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As a true freshman, Emilee Fox is getting to enjoy all of it for the Jackrabbits this season, just as she hoped when she was growing up in Mount Vernon and had the chance to watch SDSU as a young fan win Summit League tournament championships and NCAA tournament games.
That journey for Fox and SDSU continues on Saturday, as the Jackrabbits take a 29-3 record and a No. 10 seed into Storrs, Connecticut, to take on No. 7-seeded Oklahoma State in the first round of the NCAA tournament at 2:30 p.m. Central on Saturday.
"It's surreal. I mean, growing up as a kid, I was always a Jacks fan, and I came to these tournaments, and now being able to be a part of this and to win, it's amazing," Fox said in the aftermath of the Jacks' 84-68 conference tournament victory on March 10 over Oral Roberts in Sioux Falls.
The 5-foot-8 guard has been called upon in all 32 Jackrabbit games this season off the bench, playing both point guard and shooting guard. She's averaging 3.5 points per game and shooting 39% from the field, including nearly 35% on 3-pointers. She set a career-high for minutes played (25), rebounds (five) and assists (six) in SDSU's Summit tournament quarterfinal win over Omaha. She had a career-high 12 points in a Jacks' win at Montana in December.
Fox has been able to learn the point guard trade behind senior standout Paige Meyer, the first-team all-Summit League player who was the Summit League tournament MVP and will end her Jackrabbit career as the program's Division I leader in career assists.
"It's been great to learn, and I think having all these upperclassmen, super-talented players, you can bounce anything off of them," Fox said. "They're super helpful role models for me, so I think that's been the main thing that's been so helpful."
Fox has been committed to playing for the Jackrabbits since fall 2021, which was her sophomore year in high school at Mount Vernon. For the Titans, she scored a program record 2,260 points in six seasons, had Class A all-state recognition five times, and hit 131 3-pointers in her senior season, which was a new single-season girls record.
As a young Jackrabbit fan, she had pictures with players like Macy Miller, who is now an assistant coach for Fox and the SDSU team after being a star guard for the Jackrabbits.
"She's so good at what she does, and a really good coach," Fox said. "She's kind of been in the same position, so she's easy to relate to, and it's a super good relationship."
It's been a special year to be on the Jacks' roster, with SDSU rattling off 19 wins in a row and holding a top-25 ranking in both national polls. A win over the Cowgirls would give SDSU a 30-win season for only the third time in program history. Three SDSU players average in double figures each game, and five players average at least eight points per game, making for all kinds of scoring options, Fox said.
"I think that's what makes us a really good team, is just everyone contributing," Fox said. "We all blend together well, and I think anyone can have a big night. That's just what makes us really good and tough to stop for an opponent."
Playing in her first NCAA tournament on Saturday is an idea that Fox calls "insane," but add it to the list of firsts she's been able to check off in her freshman season.
"I honestly still can't believe it because that's something you watch every year on TV as a young kid," she said, "so just being able to be a part of that now, I can't wait."
Continue reading...
