NIU point guard Denise Dove is the picture of confidence.

This is obviously clear once you have seen her in practice, and once you have listened to her talk.

“My favorite thing to do is create the tempo,” the senior guard said. “When I have the tempo and team going, that’s when I know things are going right.”

Dove’s past hardwood glories justify her easy coolness. She is the Huskies’ career assist leader, chief three-point threat and defensive stalwart heading into her senior year.

“(The) last two years she’s certainly been a key to our success,” head coach Jane Albright said. “She directs the ball club.

“I get excited just thinking about coaching her and being with her everyday,” Albright said. “She works extremely hard for us.”

To capture Dove at her quintessential best, all you have to do is relive last year’s game with Utah University.

You may remember Dove deftly converting a game tying, last second three-pointer that conversely led to a Huskies overtime victory. Dove didn’t have a particularly flashy game, but as usual, she merely did what had to be done to ensure victory.

“I trust her,” Albright said. “She has a tremendous mind for the game.” She also has the athletic necessities to be the architect of the high-flying Huskies’ offense.

Last year Dove averaged nine points a game, and she sank 40 percent of her three-pointers. Her scoring averaging is no small accomplishment when one considers the talent on last year’s conference winning club: Carol Owens, Tammy Hinchee, and Kris Weis.

Dove proved last year she could also play on the defensive end of the court. Dove’s dogged defense of opposing players led to 62 steals, which consequently led to her winning the NIU Defensive award.

That Dove has the wherewithal to be a point guard can be traced to her family’s background in basketball.

Her father, Steve Dove, was a basketball coach in Minnesota, and she said she began to play “just from being around his players. (I’ve been a) gym rat all my life,” Dove said.

Dove’s home-grown skills will be put through their final test this coming season. Besides being playmaker, Albright said Dove will be counted on as a leader and scorer. “This year she’ll be scoring a lot more,” Albright said. Dove gladly welcomes this challenge.

Dove said, “I’ve been constantly in the gym working on my penetration, one-on-one moves, and especially my three-point shooting, so if anything, I expect my shooting percentage to be a lot better.

“I think I’m trying to set a good example as far as knowing what it takes to win games,” Dove said. “This year my role on the team is going to be different from last year,” she said.

“Last year I was the quarterback (and) creator, but not much of a scoring threat. I left that up to Carol (and) Tammy,” Dove said. “This year for the team to win, I have to be a scorer, creator, and (a) solid defensive player.”

Dove will play an important role in almost everything the Huskies do, but she relishes the pressure put on her.

“I feel pressure, but it’s a pressure that I like because I feel the more pressure that’s put on me, the better I’ll perform.”