Returning to college after the summer was a bit different for Stephanie Raymond.

In April, the senior was the WNBA’s No. 20 draft pick. Her team: the Chicago Sky.

But being drafted didn’t guarantee her a spot on the roster. Raymond still had the try out for the team.

To no one’s surprise, Raymond made the squad. On May 22, she played 12 minutes in her first WNBA game against the Los Angeles Sparks.

For the season, Raymond averaged nine minutes, 3.1 points and 1.4 assists per game.

But for Raymond, the stats are not what she remembers from her rookie year. Her most memorable moment came on June 9, when the Sky visited San Antonio.

“That was the game we played on the San Antonio Spurs’ finals court,” Raymond said. “Just the environment, it lifts you up to a different place. It gives you such a high. I couldn’t believe I was there.”

Now, almost five months later, Raymond is back in DeKalb. Not as a celebrity visiting her past stomping grounds, but as an NIU student.

Her days begin at 6 a.m. Raymond jokes that if she wants to sleep in, she’ll wake up at 6:30 a.m.

Besides serving as the student coach for the women’s basketball team, Raymond is currently enrolled in 10 courses. Well, nine, if you don’t count the incomplete she is finishing from last semester.

After waking up, Raymond begins a hectic schedule. Her day includes trips to Huntley Middle School, DeKalb High School, the Convocation Center and class every night of the week. That includes Friday, too.

“It’s stressful,” Raymond said. “But I’m going to be extremely happy when it’s all over.”

After student teaching in the spring, Raymond will graduate from NIU. But the future grad won’t be taking a backpacking trip to Europe for celebration.

Instead, Raymond hopes to be right back on the court in the WNBA.

“I have to report in late April with training camp,” the student coach said. “It starts all over again. I still have to make the team.

“But I already know what to expect,” Raymond continued. “I’m going to be prepared, in shape, and ready to go.”

What Raymond learned during her time last season was the WNBA is more about your mental strength than your physical ability.

According to the senior, all the players in the league have the talent to play. What separates them is their mental ability.

Feeling that her mind is tougher, Raymond is ready to see more action on the court in the 2008 WNBA season.

“My goal is to play more minutes than I did last year,” the former NIU guard said. “Not scoring more points or anything else. Just to be on the floor longer than I was last year.”