Photo by: Adam Hammerman
Freshman guard Morgan Van Riper-Rose has become a major contributor to the women’s basketball team during her rookie season, starting 14 of the last 16 games and leading the team in scoring during six of those contests.
For roughly the first half of the 2011-2012 season, Van Riper-Rose averaged roughly 26 minutes per game and 5.38 points per game. Since her first collegiate start against Portland State on Dec. 20, she has stepped into a starting role and increased her season average to 9.7 points per game and 30.24 minutes played per game, recording a career-high 21 points against Louisiana-Lafayette last Wednesday.
Van Riper-Rose was given her first opportunity to start after sophomore guard Quincey Noonan broke a bone in her left arm during the Pioneers’ Dec. 19 game against Hawaii. Noonan has returned for only two games since then, also breaking a bone in her right hand on Jan. 19, so Van Riper-Rose has stepped into a large role on the team early in her career.
“We knew she was one of the best shooters in the nation coming out of high school,” said head coach Erik Johnson. “What impressed me most was whenever I talked to her during recruiting, she didn’t want to be just a shooter; she didn’t want to be a one-dimensional player. I was so impressed by her sense of the game.”
Prior to her time at DU, Van Riper-Rose attended Eden Prairie High School in Eden Prairie, Minn., where she was named All-Conference her sophomore and junior years and First Team All-State her junior year.
“She has an uncommon amount of poise for a young player,” said Johnson. “She doesn’t get flustered. It’s hard for freshmen to get used to this level, but from the day she stepped on campus she has been able to transition to the game very well.”
During the previous 16 games, Van Riper-Rose has averaged 12.56 points per game.
“It has been awesome [playing so much],” said Van Riper-Rose. “There is no better learning tool than the experience I’ve gotten. Some upperclassmen have definitely made it easier. Emi Smith and Quincey Noonan have really shown me what I want to be like and how the offense is run.”
In addition to Noonan, the team has struggled with numerous injuries this season, including a knee injury to senior forward Kaetlyn Murdoch, hamstring issues to redshirt junior Morgan Shell and a Jan. 4 concussion to redshirt freshman Chaunise Powell. As a result, Johnson has had to rely heavily on the team’s three freshmen this year. Van Riper-Rose has continued on the Pioneer tradition of contributing early in her career.
“It’s rare for freshmen to be able to contribute right away because this level of play is such a huge jump,” said Johnson. “We’ve been lucky in our program. Kaetlyn Murdoch was very successful her freshman year, named the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year. Emi Smith came in as a freshman and started every game as a point guard. You don’t know what these kids are going to do until they get out there. What makes Morgan so successful is her mental and emotional poise. Obviously she is a good player, but that poise is what has allowed her to be successful so quickly.”
Van Riper-Rose began playing basketball in third grade and was influenced by her uncles, father and brother, who all played basketball.
Johnson described Van Riper-Rose as a truly unselfish player who focuses on opening up shots for her teammates and said she immediately earned the team’s respect with her personality.
“Our success this year is due in large part to her,” said Johnson. “When Quincey broke her hand, Morgan’s poise, talent and toughness bolstered us to play through it. She was ready to step in.”
Johnson said he has high hopes for the next three years of Van Riper-Rose’s career at DU and is excited to see her grow as a player, especially defensively, in the coming years.
“My goals for her for this year are for her to continue seeing herself as one of the best guards in the conference and to recognize and understand what comes with that,” said Johnson.
Van Riper-Rose, who was also recruited Northwestern, Nebraska and Wyoming, said she decided to attend DU because of its perfect balance of the things she wanted.
“I liked the smaller, private-school feel and I loved Colorado,” said Van Riper-Rose. “I started talking to the coaches my sophomore year, and I had a good relationship with them early. I was very interested in the business program, and I wanted to go far from home to try something new.”
Despite Johnson’s confidence and satisfaction with Van Riper-Rose’s transition to the collegiate level, it has been a challenging process, according to Van Riper-Rose.
“It has definitely been difficult adjusting,” said Van Riper-Rose. “The pace of the game has increased so much; that’s the biggest difference for me. Trying to be one step ahead of the game the whole time is tough and we’ve had a lot thrown at us. I walked into a really good situation with a lot of opportunity to play, and I definitely jumped right in.”
Van Riper-Rose has shot 71 percent from the free throw line this season and has recorded 53 three-pointers. She has also averaged over two assists per game and tallied 25 total steals. Looking forward to the rest of her career, Van Riper-Rose said she has many goals for individual improvement.
“I want to keep building on what I’m learning now,” said Van Riper-Rose. “Definitely, with Quincey out, it has put me in a position where I need to step up defensively and keep improving. Offensively, I need to take some of the pressure off Kaetlyn when she’s getting double-teamed or triple-teamed. I just need to keep being aggressive and get shots up.”
Van Riper-Rose attributes much of her success this year to her teammates, especially the upperclassmen, who she described as major role models and as “the glue of the team.”
Since she began playing at 10 years old, Van Riper-Rose said basketball has been a major part of her life and her passion for the sport has never waned.
“Ever since I started playing competitively in eighth grade, I knew I wanted to play [in college],” said Van Riper-Rose. “When high school came along, I couldn’t imagine stopping. It’s such a big part of my life. I’m really competitive in everything I do, but basketball is more than a game to me. I love the team; they make it what it is. They make me want to get better for them. It’s a part of my life I need to do.”