Q&A: Lehigh basketball seniors reflect on their collegiate careers

As the Lehigh men’s and women’s basketball teams close their regular season campaigns, the focus now shifts toward the postseason. The women’s basketball team sits in first place in the Patriot League with a 24-5 record, having clinched the regular season title. The men’s basketball team is in ninth place in the league with a 11-18 record, set to play Loyola University Maryland in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament.

However, the arrival of the postseason spells another ending beyond that of the regular season — the last season of the collegiate careers of Lehigh’s senior players.

The Brown and White spoke with men’s and women’s basketball seniors Ben Knostman, Tyler Whitney-Sidney, Kaylee Van Eps, Ella Stemmer, Colleen McQuillen and Remi Sisselman about their experiences and hopes for their final season as Mountain Hawks.

Looking back on your time at Lehigh, what are some of the most memorable moments of your basketball career? 

Ben Knostman: The mountain challenge — our summer workouts. I think that really brings our team together in a way that not many other teams can, because we spend so much time together.

Tyler Whitney-Sidney: I would say the mountain challenge, too. It was just so wild. It was 95 degrees outside, everyone was kind of hurt, and by the end of it, we were all laughing about how bad it hurt. I think, easily, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.

Colleen McQuillen: One of the most memorable things has been our trip to the Midwest this year and beating Northwestern University. That was a really fun trip. It was fun seeing Ella (Stemmer)’s and Jessie (Ozzauto)’s homes, and also, getting the first Big 10 win in program history was pretty cool. That’s just something that’s always stuck with me all year, so that’s up there for sure.

Ella Stemmer: I would also say the Midwest trip. One of the games we played was in my hometown. It was really fun to have all my people in one place, like kind of a two-worlds-colliding moment because everyone was at my house and petting my dog, which was strange, but I had so much fun. I was grateful for that moment. I feel like that Northwestern game dictated how competitive we can be this season, and it’s been fun to carry that through.

Kaylee Van Eps: The other Midwest trip we took. We went to Minnesota and South Dakota, so we played the University of Minnesota and South Dakota State (University). That was memorable for me because one of my high school teammates was on the University of Minnesota (team). It was a really good, close game. We went into overtime. I wish we would have put out the win on that one, but it was really fun just to be around my family and friends and have that hometown support too. 

Remi Sisselman: Probably just finding a new group of girls who I get along with so well, who have the same desire to win, and probably the stretch that we’re going on right now is probably one of the most memorable things. 

What has been your greatest challenge as a Lehigh student-athlete? 

BK: I think it’s the same for every student-athlete, but just balancing everything. Our season goes on for six months, and just balancing, social, academic and basketball is really hard to do. We try to do our best, because you need a balance in your life. 

TWS: Navigating the constant challenges that come with the basketball season. Between your coaches and teammates, there are just a lot of mixed emotions, ups and downs, and relationships can change throughout the season. I feel like this is the most consistent year we’ve had as a team when it comes to that. In the past, with certain coaching changes and just trying to constantly rebuild our culture, we’ve had so many moving pieces. That’s been a challenge. 

CM: I transferred in (from Fordham University), so adjusting to a whole new school system and major. It was a new environment. That was a challenge, but the people made it easy, so it wasn’t as big of a challenge as I thought it was going to be, which I’m grateful for. 

ES: Lehigh prides itself on its high achievement, so I think continuing to perform in each aspect of my day, every single day has been challenging. At the same time, I know I’m at the right place, because I’m challenged in every way. But the daily grind of practice, school classes (and) extracurriculars, strengthening my social relationships outside of that, and continuing to pursue myself and my individual growth outside of my identity as a student-athlete, is really important to me as well. The daily grind has been one of the hardest parts about being at Lehigh.

KVE: I think, for me, it’s the time management and learning how that was different in college as a student-athlete, because the practice schedules change. Everything’s very fluid. Also, making a priority of myself, and making a priority of the team, academics and figuring out what I need, because week by week, day by day, that changes. So, I think that kind of time management stuff has definitely been a challenge.

RS: I would say one of the biggest challenges I can think of is coming in as a transfer, as a junior, coming into hard classes and a rigorous basketball schedule. I would say that was probably hardest adjusting, you know, not as a freshman, so you don’t have as many of the resources you’re expected to know your way around. That was probably the hardest thing, finding my way, finding myself, finding the people, my social time as well as being able to play well on the basketball court.

How has being a member of the Lehigh basketball program shaped the person you are today? 

BK: It’s created who I am today. I’ve met probably 20 of my best friends that I’m going to have for the rest of my life in the last four years. It’s hard to say who I would be without Lehigh men’s basketball, because they’ve changed me in so many different ways. 

TWS: I have felt myself turn from a boy to a man here. I’m still constantly learning new things about myself every day, but I think this experience has been life-changing, because I feel like we’ve been put through the wringer from the moment we got here (until) now. 

CM: This is probably one of the first times in my life where I’m around people who are like-minded across the board, but we all bring something different. Being on this team has helped me reaffirm who I am and what I bring to this team. It has helped me feel empowered to do that and be that every single day, which I’m, again, really grateful for, because it’s very special to have a group of girls and a staff that wants you to be who you are every single day. Competition is really important to me, and it’s nice being challenged every single day on the court, and I know that everyone’s going to bring in different ways.

ES: I think sports are one of the greatest ways to learn life lessons and are incredible vehicles for learning. So, being a part of the Lehigh women’s basketball team has not only allowed me to learn, but learn at a very high level. I think we pride ourselves on being incredibly competitive and well-rounded individuals. We’re very high achievers and want to perform at the very best level, so I think the opportunity to competitively pursue that has shaped who I am. It’s allowed me to not settle for anything less, continue advocating for myself, and learn how to network with others and unite a whole group of different people, I may add, behind a common purpose. I think that just strengthens the relationship and the experience overall. So, being on the women’s basketball team at Lehigh has had an incredible impact on my development.

KVE: For me, the big thing it’s brought me is a lot of confidence in who I am. I’ve continued to grow in figuring that out, and the team has helped me with that. Our team, every single year, is close-knit. That’s given me a lot of confidence and made it so that it’s been fun. I think that’s helped shape who I am and helped me grow in a lot of ways as a person, as challenging each other, but also as having fun and just growing with each other, as people, as leaders, as a team.

RS: It’s definitely made me a better person because Lehigh women’s basketball revolves so much around community and relationship and helping and making a face for the program with incorporating so many important people in the Lehigh community. I think that has really changed my perspective on life and perspective on what playing basketball at such a great school means, because it’s not just about the basketball and the wind, it’s about influencing the people around you and helping them.

What are some personal and team goals for your final season, and how do you plan to achieve them? 

BK: We’ve had the same goal every year — to win a Patriot League Championship, and that’s kind of never going to go away. Another team goal every single year is just figuring out how to stay connected, even through things that are going to try to pull us apart. This is gonna be my last year playing basketball. I just want to give it my all. I want to know I went all out and did everything I possibly could to be the best player that I could be. 

TWS: We’ve always said we want a (Patriot) League Championship. We’ve had the talent every year. We just always came up pretty short. But I think being there last year, we really understand what it takes. We have a young team, and we’re figuring it out. There’s still a lot of games left. For me, it’s been leaving the program better than we found it and just leaving as much as I can with the younger guys to carry it on and talk about me the way I talk about the seniors I had. 

CM, ES, KVE: The Patriot League Championship. 

KVE: That one’s been on the table the whole year.

CM: We talked about it the other day. We set it up in the spring so that we know how far this team can go. Saying we want to win a championship holds a lot of weight, but it’s a weight that I’m happy to carry, because I know we’re capable of doing it. That’s the ultimate goal that we’re working for every single day.

RS: A huge team goal would be to win out; we have four games left. Win those obviously, be the number one seed in the playoffs, win that, go to the NCAA Tournament, try and make a run for ourselves whoever we played first, you know, put a name out there for Lehigh. So I thought that would be great. A personal goal would just be to keep playing with joy and happiness and celebrate with my teammates and do what I can on the court to help this team go as far as I can.

What kind of legacy do you hope to leave behind for your teammates and future players in the program? 

BK: I want to leave a legacy of somebody that connects our team and brings us together. I always want to leave a legacy of confidence, because there are a lot of things that (can) kill our confidence within our program. I want to leave a legacy of building your confidence and being personally responsible for your own goals. You’re the one that really shapes what you do here. Nobody else can say who you’re going to be or what you can do. 

TWS: I think, a lot of times, things are thrown at you that are already out of your control, and you just gotta figure it out. For me, it’s been telling all my guys (that) at the end of the day, we all support each other, but no one really cares, so you just gotta figure that out. At the same time, do it out of a place of love, and I feel like that’s just why I want them to understand that what we have is much bigger than any success you get individually down the line. It’s cool now, but in 10 years, no one gives a f**k what you did. It’s more just how teammates remember you. That’s what I’m now learning, like that’s how I remember my teammates, not by how many points they scored or how successful we were.

CM: I want to leave a legacy of people who want to dream big and not be afraid to work for their goals because, again, championships hold a lot of weight. But I think if we can set goals and we’re realistic with it, because this team is more than capable of doing it and not every team can be, we can learn,teach and show people that it’s okay to dream big and work for that. That’s one of the biggest things. Piggybacking off what I said earlier, having a program where you can be who you are and like to be all in every single day is something I hope that carries through forever.

ES: Individually, I want to show the team and players that you can be great at everything. That’s one of my biggest goals — holistic development. I want to be the best student, the best athlete, the best person and the best leader I can be. That’s possible here, because our team and staff invest in our individual development, (and) we have the resources to do it. At the same time, I think it’s important to show the whole team that you can be incredibly hard-working and dream big and accomplish those while playing for each other, and also finding a certain joy to that as well. So, there’s joy in the doing. Our team is really dynamic, and it’s in our ability to do both, and I want others to continue knowing that.

KVE: I’ve always wanted to be, like, the role model. The legacy is to leave it better than you found it, so I think that’s something that I’ve strived for the past four years — leaving them with a good core and the core values that are going to continue leading them to continue to do well. I think that’s a huge thing for me, just to be a part of that and to be able to teach or help the younger ones kind of learn that and see that from us.

RS Someone who continuously works as hard as they can, meanwhile always keeping a positive energy on the court and continuously bringing others up, while also showing that there are no plays off.