Former Simeon star Aneesah Morrow has become an unstoppable force at DePaul
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Aneesah Morrow led Simeon to a state championship three years ago. Now the sophomore is trying to get DePaul back on track.
Morrow was an unstoppable force in her first year at DePaul.
"As a freshman she could come on the floor and basically ran, rebound, finish, and became a 5-time All-American," said DePaul head coach Doug Bruno.
The national freshman of the year is again playing at a high level, becoming the nation's fourth-leading scorer in NCAA women's basketball. She's second in the Big East in scoring, averaging 25 points a game; and leading the conference in rebounding. But she's also adjusting to a different role with her team.
"In year two, now she's the marked woman. Our game has been going through her. It's a different deal when the game is going through you," Bruno said.
"This year, I'm kind of considered like a vet, and I know that there's a lot of attention brought to me. My coaches have higher standards for me this year as well. I'm learning how to play through being triple-teamed, and getting my teammates better as well; like being able to pass the ball, and just expanding my game," Morrow said.
Morrow is also determined to be a better leader on a DePaul squad that lost three senior guards to graduation; who happened to be their 2nd, 3rd, and 4th leading scorers from last year's team.
"Lead by not only an example, but be a verbal leader as well, to encourage my teammates, and I feel like I'm getting better at that," Morrow said.
How tough is it to try to be a leader?
"For me, I'm more quiet and reserved, so it has been kind of challenging throughout this year, but my teammates are always open to me. So I feel like I can open up to them and encourage them, because they do the same for me," Morrow said.
Morrow has lofty goals for herself, even beyond her time at DePaul; but she's trying not to worry so much about what's ahead, and focus more on what's right in front of her.
"Just trying to stay present. I practice mindfulness, and just trying to stay present in the moment, because I've had times where I thought so much about the future, that I forgot to be present, and I'm g getting frustrated at things I didn't accomplish, or things that are out of my control. So just staying present in the moment has been a big thing for me this year," she said.
Even though this DePaul team has had some bumps in the road this year, with as many conference losses already as they had all of last year, Morrow and Bruno are confident they can right the ship down the stretch.
"We go through adversity together as a team, and we have to fight through every game as a team," Morrow said.
"I really believe we still have time here. I mean, we don't have a lot of time. We're playing individually well. We have not yet been able to cement it all together, and that's really been the challenge," Bruno said.
And if anyone's up to that challenge, it's Morrow.
"When you have that grit, like I said, that chip on your shoulder being from the South Side of Chicago, you just want to be successful in everything that you do," she said.
Family has always been important to Morrow. Her sister, Nazlah, is now on the team as well. She hasn't been able to play because of injury, but just having her sister around has been a big help, and made her feel more comfortable.
