While some athletes prefer to keep their cool on the basketball court, there are others who thrive on being as intense as possible. At times, a fired up, emotional leader is exactly what a team needs.

NIU sophomore Mauvolyene Adams is one of those players for this year’s women’s basketball team. Adams sat down with the Northern Star to talk about her intensity on the court, the atmosphere of the team and what it feels like to be in the chase for a MAC championship.

Northern Star: With every game being huge, what does it feel like to be in the thick of a conference race?

Mauvolyene Adams: It feels good. I’ve always liked pressure and being in a position where you have to not prove yourself, but come out on top knowing that there was adversity; knowing that it meant more than just blowing out some team full of little kids. I think that everything being really close shows that whoever wins deserves it.

NS: How exciting is it to play in a game like the Bowling Green game, where one play here or one play there decides the outcome?

MA: It’s very exciting. I think the best thing about it is that no matter what the result is, just to look back on the game and to know that it was that close. Two months from then we’ll be even better. To know that we’ll be at a different place if we ever get in that situation again, that we’ll all make better decisions, and learn from the last time. It feels great to compete; I love to compete so it’s fun.

NS: It’s safe to say you’re one of the team’s emotional leaders. Do you make an effort to take that role on?

MA: It’s definitely natural. I’ve been that type of person ever since I started playing basketball. It kind of became a role for me. Every team I’m on, if I’m not being emotional and cheering, the coach will be like “Hey what’s wrong? We need you to do this,” so it’s kind of something that’s just naturally associated with me after a while. I take on that role with full responsibility, you know. It’s fun to bring my teammates up and, even if I’m not having a good day, if Aileen [Rossouw] is having a good day, just keep her having a good day. It’s all about being a team player.

NS: It definitely helps to keep you in the game when you have that intensity and prevents you from being complacent.

MA: If you’re not having a good day and you’re pouting about how you missed every shot, that’s not helping your team. That’s selfish and that’s going to make everyone susceptible. It’s what’s best for the team, so sometimes you’ve got to sell out, and if that means that you’re just having an off night and you cheer for everybody that’s having an on night; if they’re having an on night then you’re having an on night because your jersey says the same thing at the end of the night.

NS: It’s known that your parents have had a big influence on you; did they instill that intensity in you?

MA: I think it naturally came from my mom. Whenever my mom’s at our games, she cheers the whole game. You never don’t hear her mouth, so I think it’s interesting that all my teammates say the same thing. They say, ‘You’re just like your mom, always cheering!’ So I think it’s just from within my family. I think my parents taught us to kind of make sure we keep each other up, so if my sisters are going through something I try to keep them up, and it just kind of rubbed off onto my teammates. I kind of just try to keep my teammates up, try to keep my coaches up, you know. Whatever I’ve got to do.

NS: So is there kind of a family atmosphere around the team?

MA: Yeah, sometimes I call coach [Carol Owens] “Momma” and she just laughs, but yeah, that’s our big mommy. You know they’re my sisters. My high school team was the same way; we were even closer because we’d played together since we were in sixth grade. So when you’re together for six or seven years, you can walk into each other’s houses and just say “I’m outside; I’m coming in the house” and it was just natural. Parents knew all the parents; we were all just family.