North Carolina State University Athletics
Program Spotlight: Marissa Kastanek
12/9/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
By Ryan Beck, Media Relations Assistant
Scanning the NC State women’s basketball roster this year, Marissa Kastanek stands out as the only freshman on the team. Hailing from Lincoln, Neb., Kastanek has come a long way to play basketball for the Wolfpack.
Coming across country, it has been an adjustment for Kastanek to not be at home.
“I have a lot of younger family members that I like to see often, so it’s hard not seeing them,” said Kastanek. “At the same time if I had gone to school closer to home I would have been busy so I wouldn’t have been able to see them anyway.”
With most freshmen, it takes awhile to get used to the time and work required to be successful in college. Kastanek not only has to worry about schoolwork, but also playing basketball and fitting in with her teammates.
“Over the summer we talked about time management a lot,” said Kastanek. “We need to set aside time for schoolwork and practice, but also have social time so you don’t get overwhelmed with school and sports.”
Growing up, Kastanek’s first love was soccer. Her dream was to play college soccer for the University of North Carolina. When she was in the eighth grade however, Kastanek came to Raleigh to watch her older sister play in a basketball tournament. This was her first opportunity to see NC State and she came away impressed.
“I just loved everything about the university, and the area in general,” said Kastanek.
Once in high school Kastanek started to excel on the basketball court. When she began receiving interests from schools, Kastanek kept thinking back to the state she fell in love with at a young age. Part of NC State’s appeal to her was the conference.
“I wanted to play in the ACC, because to me that’s the best conference in the country,” said Kastanek. “If you can succeed in the ACC, you can succeed anywhere.”
The opportunity for playing time was also very important.
“I felt that when Coach Yow was recruiting me I had a chance to play here, while also being a good role model,” said Kastanek. “No other school could compare with the family atmosphere and everything else [it had to offer].”
When Coach Kay Yow passed away this past January, Kastanek was at a loss. One of the biggest reasons she was coming to NC State was because of the relationships she had developed over two and a half years with Coach Yow and her staff.
With the hiring Kellie Harper in April, Kastanek’s mind was put at ease.
“Coach Harper came in and told me I can trust her and what she stood for,” said Kastanek. “She told me I was going to still be at home. She came out to Nebraska a couple of times to meet with me. She did a really good job of getting to know me.”
Harper mentioned in a postgame press conference after Kastanek scored 20 points in a win over Florida Atlantic that she would have made five trips to Nebraska if that’s what it took to get her to play here at NC State.
Kastanek was heavily recruited from around the country to play college basketball and she has a good idea why that might have been the case.
“I’d say the biggest thing that every coach that recruited me said was I wasn’t the best basketball player, best shooter, best ball handler, or best passer,” said Kastanek. “It wasn’t any of that, but that I worked very hard. On defense, I’m not the quickest or strongest, but I work really hard so everything evens out.”
Something that has surprised the coaches so far is Kastanek’s leadership skills. Even though she is just a freshman, Kastanek isn’t afraid to give her opinion.
“Playing basketball for so long, if I see something that could be changed or improve our team I make it known,” said Kastanek. “I don’t imply it like I know everything, but I give suggestions if I think it helps us. Keeping everyone on the same page is important because everybody is new technically with a new coaching staff and system.”
However, being the only freshman on a team with four seniors, Kastanek looks to them as examples.
“The senior leadership is great this year with Lucy (Ellison), Nikitta (Gartrell), Sharnise (Beal) and Inga (Muciniece),” said Kastanek. “Those girls help to understand what it takes to be a leader in college. Not just having the seniors be leaders, but if everyone on the team were leaders that would be the best for our team.”
Kastanek knows there are plenty of doubters out there, as the Wolfpack was picked to finish ninth in the ACC this year.
Keeping the predictions in mind, Kastanek and her teammates would love nothing better than to prove people wrong.
“We lost Coach Yow, but everybody knows that she is still with us,” said Kastanek. “We know we can play. A good expectation for us is to never quit.”
Kastanek also realizes it will be a process to get the team to where they want to ultimately end up.
“We aren’t going to be No. 1 right away,” said Kastanek. “Nobody thinks that, but Coach Harper said that if we as a team believe then that’s all that matters. We can get so much accomplished if we just believe in ourselves.”
Kastanek has quickly made an impression on the court – leading the Wolfpack in scoring at 12.1 points per game through nine games into her career. That figure is the second best among first-year players in the ACC.
Just recently she scored a game-high 22 points in a victory over TCU last Sunday in what was the best win for the Pack so far in this young season.
After the win over the Lady Frogs, head coach Kellie Harper was overjoyed by the victory and the play of her young guard.
“She’s doing such good things for us; she scores, she rebounds, she defends, she plays so hard, she wants to do everything right.
“She’s a gym rat. She’s in here all the time. She is what I want this program to be about – that heart, that hustle and that desire. She’s a coach’s dream.”
Scanning the NC State women’s basketball roster this year, Marissa Kastanek stands out as the only freshman on the team. Hailing from Lincoln, Neb., Kastanek has come a long way to play basketball for the Wolfpack.
Coming across country, it has been an adjustment for Kastanek to not be at home.
“I have a lot of younger family members that I like to see often, so it’s hard not seeing them,” said Kastanek. “At the same time if I had gone to school closer to home I would have been busy so I wouldn’t have been able to see them anyway.”
With most freshmen, it takes awhile to get used to the time and work required to be successful in college. Kastanek not only has to worry about schoolwork, but also playing basketball and fitting in with her teammates.
“Over the summer we talked about time management a lot,” said Kastanek. “We need to set aside time for schoolwork and practice, but also have social time so you don’t get overwhelmed with school and sports.”
Growing up, Kastanek’s first love was soccer. Her dream was to play college soccer for the University of North Carolina. When she was in the eighth grade however, Kastanek came to Raleigh to watch her older sister play in a basketball tournament. This was her first opportunity to see NC State and she came away impressed.
“I just loved everything about the university, and the area in general,” said Kastanek.
Once in high school Kastanek started to excel on the basketball court. When she began receiving interests from schools, Kastanek kept thinking back to the state she fell in love with at a young age. Part of NC State’s appeal to her was the conference.
“I wanted to play in the ACC, because to me that’s the best conference in the country,” said Kastanek. “If you can succeed in the ACC, you can succeed anywhere.”
The opportunity for playing time was also very important.
“I felt that when Coach Yow was recruiting me I had a chance to play here, while also being a good role model,” said Kastanek. “No other school could compare with the family atmosphere and everything else [it had to offer].”
When Coach Kay Yow passed away this past January, Kastanek was at a loss. One of the biggest reasons she was coming to NC State was because of the relationships she had developed over two and a half years with Coach Yow and her staff.
With the hiring Kellie Harper in April, Kastanek’s mind was put at ease.
“Coach Harper came in and told me I can trust her and what she stood for,” said Kastanek. “She told me I was going to still be at home. She came out to Nebraska a couple of times to meet with me. She did a really good job of getting to know me.”
Harper mentioned in a postgame press conference after Kastanek scored 20 points in a win over Florida Atlantic that she would have made five trips to Nebraska if that’s what it took to get her to play here at NC State.
Kastanek was heavily recruited from around the country to play college basketball and she has a good idea why that might have been the case.
“I’d say the biggest thing that every coach that recruited me said was I wasn’t the best basketball player, best shooter, best ball handler, or best passer,” said Kastanek. “It wasn’t any of that, but that I worked very hard. On defense, I’m not the quickest or strongest, but I work really hard so everything evens out.”
Something that has surprised the coaches so far is Kastanek’s leadership skills. Even though she is just a freshman, Kastanek isn’t afraid to give her opinion.
“Playing basketball for so long, if I see something that could be changed or improve our team I make it known,” said Kastanek. “I don’t imply it like I know everything, but I give suggestions if I think it helps us. Keeping everyone on the same page is important because everybody is new technically with a new coaching staff and system.”
However, being the only freshman on a team with four seniors, Kastanek looks to them as examples.
“The senior leadership is great this year with Lucy (Ellison), Nikitta (Gartrell), Sharnise (Beal) and Inga (Muciniece),” said Kastanek. “Those girls help to understand what it takes to be a leader in college. Not just having the seniors be leaders, but if everyone on the team were leaders that would be the best for our team.”
Kastanek knows there are plenty of doubters out there, as the Wolfpack was picked to finish ninth in the ACC this year.
Keeping the predictions in mind, Kastanek and her teammates would love nothing better than to prove people wrong.
“We lost Coach Yow, but everybody knows that she is still with us,” said Kastanek. “We know we can play. A good expectation for us is to never quit.”
Kastanek also realizes it will be a process to get the team to where they want to ultimately end up.
“We aren’t going to be No. 1 right away,” said Kastanek. “Nobody thinks that, but Coach Harper said that if we as a team believe then that’s all that matters. We can get so much accomplished if we just believe in ourselves.”
Kastanek has quickly made an impression on the court – leading the Wolfpack in scoring at 12.1 points per game through nine games into her career. That figure is the second best among first-year players in the ACC.
Just recently she scored a game-high 22 points in a victory over TCU last Sunday in what was the best win for the Pack so far in this young season.
After the win over the Lady Frogs, head coach Kellie Harper was overjoyed by the victory and the play of her young guard.
“She’s doing such good things for us; she scores, she rebounds, she defends, she plays so hard, she wants to do everything right.
“She’s a gym rat. She’s in here all the time. She is what I want this program to be about – that heart, that hustle and that desire. She’s a coach’s dream.”
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