Neither position change, injury nor suspension have stopped Kristan Knake from delivering for the NIU women’s basketball team

NIU guard Kristan Knake came into this season expecting to play an important role on the women’s basketball team.

However, she didn’t expect to be contributing in a new position.

With the departure of senior guards Charbea Haller and Kelli Ryan, head coach Carol Hammerle needed someone to play point guard. Knake has taken over the role and helped the Huskies

to become a serious contender in the Mid-American Conference championship.

In her high school career at Marengo, Knake said she played every position but point guard and was a bit worried when she was told she might run the point.

“I made it a lot harder than it was,” Knake said. “I was pretty pessimistic going into it because I wasn’t sure how well I’d do.”

It didn’t take Knake long to adjust because she has performed beyond expectations and leads the team with 12.4 points and 3.6 assists per game.

At the start of the season, Knake sat the bench under suspension for violating a team policy. However, she didn’t get discouraged, and came out against Northwestern in the the next game with a career-high 23 points.

On Jan. 24 against Bowling Green, Knake played what she called her best game when she scored 21 points and 7 assists with no turnovers. She followed that effort three days later with a stellar 12-assist game, two away from the Huskie record of 14.

Knake’s on-court play has made her a team leader. She only may be a sophomore, but on a team that consists of six freshmen, the 5-foot-8-inch guard is actually one of the more experienced players.

“She’s got so much more experience,” Hammerle said. “She’s a co-captain, and there’s an expectation that she is a leader. I think she’s responding well to that.”

Leading the team with her words, Knake always huddles her team to keep players focused. She also leads with her play on the floor, whether hitting a key shot, drawing a foul to get to the line — where she shoots a team-best 82.2 percent — rifling a pass to an open teammate under the basket or getting a key steal to seal the game. She is second on the team behind freshman guard Lindsay Secrest in steals by averaging 1.9 per game.

Before each game, Knake gets pumped to reggae music and a little chest bumping routine that she shares with senior center Mickey Johnson.

“Mick and I just have this connection,” Knake said. ” When we get out on the court, it’s like we’re in our own little zone. We do a little talking, a little chest bumping — it’s just to pysch each other up.”

Since joining the Huskies, Knake has become a member of the MAC All-Freshman team and has been named MAC Player of the Week. Knake was named to the All-Freshman team with her 9.1 point average and her 4.4 rebound average last season.

Knake doesn’t always grab a handful of steals, but her defensive plays leave a mark.

On Jan. 31 at Buffalo, Knake held point guard Sonia Ortega to 1-of-7 shooting and only 4 points, which Hammerle referred to as a big key to their victory. On Jan. 20, Knake held Miami Ohio guard Heather Cusick to only 4-of-13 shooting from the floor, as she and the Huskies held the Redhawks to 50 points, which was 24 under their season average. Knake also added a season-high 5 steals that game.

“I like it because it’s a good challenge,” said the sophomore point guard about battling upperclassmen. “A lot of the time I’ll be going against juniors and seniors, like I did last year, and I like it because I know they have that experience. If I do well against them, then I know I can play with them.”

Knake has improved in many aspects of her game but still has room to improve in other areas.

“I think she can be stronger in her ball handling,” Hammerle said. “I would probably say she needs to be smarter in her decision making, so she gets to the point where she knows when to push the ball and when to make that pass and when not to. I think as she continues to play, she’s gonna develop that.”

Many people have helped Knake develop into a better point guard. She contributes her success to her family, coaches and all of her teammates, especially Stephanie Smith.

Having played against each other in high school, Knake and Smith knew and respected each other and have developed a friendship since Smith has joined the Huskies. Smith, having played at the point in high school, has been a big help to Knake and believes that Knake has caught on to her teachings.

“She’s come a long way,” Smith said. “At first, she was dribbling out in front too much and wasn’t protecting the ball with her body. She wasn’t sure if she should penetrate and kick, but now she knows when to penetrate and kick out the ball. She now knows how to control the tempo of the game, which has really helped us.”

Playing the point is something that had Knake worried at the start of the year, but she has adjusted well to running the team. She has struggled at times, like her nine turnover performance Jan. 27 against Central Michigan, but she recovered in that game with 12 assists.

“Even though playing the point has frustrated her at times, I still think it has made her a better player,” Hammerle said.