North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Women Spotlight: Nikitta Gartrell
1/3/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Gartrell takes nothing for granted in second season
By Carolyn Steele, Media Relations Student Assistant
Sometimes where you start is not always where you end up, and sophomore Nikitta Gartrell is all too familiar with this. The guard from Atlanta, Ga., thought she was going to be a track star before she headed off to college. After watching her brother Mario play on recreational basketball teams when she was younger, Gartrell was inspired by him and his passion for the game. It was not until she began playing basketball that she realized she was heading in a different direction.
“I always told myself I’m running track for someone one day, but I didn’t know who or where, so I picked up a basketball,” said Gartrell. “I thought, hey, I’m pretty good at this; maybe I can take it a little further than I thought. I was going to stop playing in middle school, but as I learned more about the game, I loved it, so I kept playing.”
Gartrell continued to play throughout high school at Benjamin E. Mays where she netted a school record 2,800 points and was ranked 15th nationally by Scout.com. She also traveled to the FIBA Games her senior year as a member of the USA Basketball under-18 national team and left with a gold medal. Gartrell was recruited by NC State, a program with a family atmosphere that appealed to her. It was not too far from home, nor too close, so Gartrell committed to Coach Kay Yow’s team and headed to Raleigh in 2006. She was the first female in her family to become a collegiate student-athlete.
“It’s a big adjustment from Atlanta, and I’m still adjusting,” said Gartrell, “but everything’s okay so far.”
The adjustment was more than just with the location, but with the level of play as well. Coming to a team dominated by six seniors was exciting and scary at the same time Gartrell ended up getting 15 starts in her first season, the most of any in her class.
“It was fun playing with the seniors because they played up the speed and upped the tempo,” said Gartrell. “Playing with them was like someone my age playing with a three-year-old. I was wondering how they expected a freshman to come in and play, but I think I did pretty well.”
Throughout her freshman season, Gartrell made countless contributions to the team, including eight points in the 58-40 win over conference foe Boston College. No game matched the Wolfpack’s win over top-ranked North Carolina in the last contest of the season, a game Gartrell participated in and considers the most exciting in her career so far.
“I didn’t even want to play to be honest,” said Gartrell. “I wanted to watch the game. To be able to see how our seniors represented NC State, and watch them play hard with a lot of enthusiasm made it the biggest game ever to me.”
Watching her more experienced teammates’ effort on the court helped Gartrell realize where she needed to improve to match their intensity. Her strength and her defensive play were not at the levels she knew she needed them to be, so she spent the offseason lifting weights and learning defensive positions.
“I knew I had to work on things in order to come back and have a strong season this year,” said Gartrell. “I focused on how to set down and not let anyone past you on defense. My main focus this year is to play great defense.”
Her hard work paid off and Gartrell has shown progress in the first few games of her sophomore season. The Pack benefited from her defensive improvement in the victory over UNC Greensboro when she had one block, four steals, and also added 12 points. Gartrell also contributed in the win over Appalachian State, finishing with 15 points, and performed well on defense with one block and one steal.
Heading into conference play this weekend, she ranks third on the team with 9.7 points a game.
As the new season gets into full swing, Gartrell is not looking forward to playing any particular team, but rather to a successful season. She knows it will be difficult, but as long as they buckle down and work hard, they will produce outstanding results.
“You just have to be ready to play,” said Gartrell. “I’m looking for a great season because I know my teammates, as well as myself, want to win the ACC championship, an NCAA championship, and we know it’s not going to come easy. Everyone looks at us as a young team, but everything is looking okay. We just have things we need to work on.”
When things get difficult, Gartrell looks to her head coach for motivation and support. The mother-daughter relationship between the two allows Yow to stay on Gartrell about her play, practice, and homework.
“She influences me a lot and motivates me as well because of all the things she’s going through,” said Gartrell. “I wake up every day and nothing is wrong with me, and if I feel like slacking off one day, I look at what Coach Yow is doing for us and all she’s going through, and I don’t allow myself to.”
As one of the starters for the Pack this season, Gartrell knows she has to focus on this season, and this season alone to be able to produce significant results.
“I’m trying to do everything I can because when your four years are up, they’re up,” said Gartrell. “If we can keep playing with high intensity and the way we have in the beginning of this season, everything’s going to turn out fine.”
Even though she had no idea she was going to end up at NC State, playing basketball no less, Gartrell has seized the opportunity given to her with enthusiasm. She plays hard and fast, and has improved in the areas she knew she needed to. Playing on a team with 11 freshmen and sophomores, Gartrell brings experience to the Pack, a relatively young team in the eyes of many. She knows things are not always perfect, and it takes hard work and dedication to thrive throughout the season and be successful in the long run. But most importantly, she knows that every game counts, and to take nothing for granted.
