OK, we all know football is the powerhouse sport at NIU. Everybody loves the football program. And they should — the team wins, and that’s what fans like.

The men’s basketball team does get some attention from students. They should get more because of this season’s success, but that’s another story.

Wrestling has been good for a while, but many students are not interested in the sport.

Have I forgotten something? Oh, yeah. The women’s basketball team. Maybe it’s just me, but students show little interest in women’s basketball. I’m not talking about the attendance issues. This goes beyond that. I’m talking about students having little knowledge about the success of the team.

NIU students get so caught up with the football team, they forget about women’s sports. They don’t know first-year coach Carol Owens has done a great job turning the program around.

Owens helped this year’s team accumulate nine victories so far. It may not sound like a lot, but last year the Huskies won only seven games.

The women’s basketball team will be the next big thing at NIU, so sit back and let me explain why.

The foundation is there. The first key to building a powerhouse program starts with the coach. Owens is a perfect fit for the job. She played for the Huskies in the late 1980s and she was the best. The players will listen.

Now let’s look at the players. We all know Stephanie Raymond is one of the best players in the conference.

But we do not know all of the other talented players.

Jessie Wilcox is one of them. Remember that name everyone. She can flat-out play some ball, and as a freshman she has the respect from her coaches and teammates. She has the ability to take over a game.

Then there’s sophomore Whitney Lowe. She comes off the bench, but is very athletic and plays with a lot of heart. You need players like that to build a good program.

There’s one more thing missing. All good teams have utility players — someone who does not care about stats, but will do anything for the team. Freshman Kacia Gillette plays this way.

The players named may not sound familiar to some, but they can play. If you don’t believe it, come to the game.

So while some of you Huskie fans will sit back and wait for the football season to start, I will be looking forward to the next big thing on campus — the women’s basketball team.