Bulldogs in the Spotlight: Basketball, Sarah – DeShone

Sarah DeShone

Bulldogs in the Spotlight, Vol.6
by David Silversmith

Bulldogs in the Spotlight is a new mini-series bringing Ferris State fans intense, intimate, and intriguing interviews to help them get to know the Ferris State Student-Athletes. In volume six, We will help you get to know Ferris State All-American Women’s Basketball guard Sarah DeShone.

Sarah is a senior from Elkhart, Indiana. She is studying math education and plans on graduating in 2015. She played for Jimtown High School and had an impressive senior season averaging 18.6 points per game and 2.5 assists. She helped Jimtown to a 19-2 record in her final season in 2009-10. Sarah took a rotation role in her first season with the Bulldogs, averaging 4.9 points and 2 rebounds in 2010-11, but then took her game to the next level in her sophomore year in 2011-2012.  She averaged 14.1 points per game along with 4.6 assists as she helped the Bulldogs to the GLIAC North Division Championship and a berth into the NCAA regional semi-final. She also earned first team All-GLIAC as well as becoming a honorable mention All-American. Sarah continued her success into her junior year, averaging 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, including scoring over 20 points in ten games. She claimed All-American honors again, as well as first team All-GLIAC honors. In her final season, Sarah continued her high level of play with 17.8 points per game, 4.7 assists, and held a .918 free throw percentage. Again, Sarah earned first team All-GLIAC honors as well as honorable mention All-American. Her final statistics among the all-time Ferris Bulldogs rank her second in three-point percentage (.397), third in made three’s (166), sixth in free throws made (269), sixth in assists (379), eighth in scoring (1,419) and 11th in steals (154).

David:
Sarah, thank you for joining me on this snowy day.
Sarah:
Not a problem, David.

David:
So let’s start with how you began your basketball life.
Sarah:
Well, my dad was a varsity coach at Jimtown High School up until a couple years ago. From what my family tells me, he would take me to practice since I was three months old and put me in a play pen. So I guess my start begins there. He had my older brothers watch me while he was coaching.

David:
Really, in a play pen? You’ve known the game since you were almost literally born. When did the competitiveness kick in?
Sarah:
Probably about second grade. We had a hoop on the back of some bleachers and I would play against my older brothers. They would never let me win though. Because of that, I became competitive to try and win.

David:
I know how the sibling rivalry goes. So you have the competitive edge early, tell us about basketball at Jimtown High School.
Sarah:
Actually you and I had this conversation before at the Big Rapids and Cadillac state semi-final. High school holds some of the best years of your life. I had the most fun playing with the girls I grew up with all my life and we got to keep playing with each other.

David:
That’s true, I remember that conversation. There is nothing like the high school atmosphere. When did you think that you were able to transition your game from high school to college?
Sarah:
Well, my freshman year at Jimtown, we had a great team. No one cared who scored, as long as we kept scoring. We had great team work and even better senior leaders. Not only that, as I grew up I was treated better and better by the upper class.

David:
When was college basketball a reality?
Sarah:
Well, honestly, when I was in sixth grade, we did a project in which we had to say what we want to do when we grew up. [Laughing]
I choose to play basketball at Notre Dame. But it wasn’t until my sophomore year until I had more realistic expectations. At that point, I didn’t want to sit on the bench. I wanted to play, even if it was for five minutes.

Sarah drives against Lake State.

David:
And what happened that made Ferris your place to be?
Sarah:
Funny story. I played AAU one year and we came up her for a team camp. I hated it here. It was a place I couldn’t imagine myself. But when I came on a visit, I fit in with everyone. I fit in really well and that’s how I decided.

David:
As always, I like to learn more about your favorite things in life. So let’s begin with color!
Sarah:
Blue.

David:
Movie?
Sarah:
How to lose a guy in 10 days.

David:
Musical artist?
Sarah:
Rascal Flatts.

David:
Dream Vehicle?
Sarah:
Yellow Hummer.

David:
Vacation?
Sarah:
I’m actually going to Long Boat Key, Florida this weekend. It’s by Sarasota.

David:
Favorite team that isn’t named Ferris?
Sarah:
Notre Dame.

David:
Yuck. How about your favorite food?
Sarah:
I have two. Grandma’s Chex Mix and steak and potatoes.

David:
Athlete?
Sarah:
I don’t know about this one. I was obsessed with Skylar Diggins at one point. But then she got weird.

David:
Weird?
Sarah:
Yeah, follow her on instagram, you’ll see. I don’t know.

[For those of you who want to check out Skylar Diggins profile on Instagram. Click Here. I didn’t see anything that would burn your eyes.]

David:
So Sarah, what are your plans for when you graduate?
Sarah:
I would really like to return to the northern Indiana area to teach and coach. I’d like to be closer to my family.

David:
Speaking of family, I assume that you consider these Ferris girls here a part of your family. Who was your go to person when you needed someone to be there?
Sarah:
I would say Kara Hess. She’s my lucky one. She’s great. Kara is a problem solver as well as a leader. Her and I have similar qualities and that’s what made us best friends.

David:
Continuing further with Ferris and basketball, tell us about your senior season and the transition from student-athlete to student.Sarah:
It’s sad. It’s different. But our team does a fantastic job in keeping me involved. I still go to skill group practices and workouts. And it is definitely not as hard as it could be. I guess I will see when I’m on the sideline in the weeks to come.

David:
What made Ferris the place you wanted to be at?
Sarah:
Recruiting. All of the girls get along. They are fun to play with and they make life long friends.

David:
So some credit goes to the coaches as well?
Sarah:
Yeah. The coaches ask us about recruits when they visit. [Head Women’s Basketball Coach] Colleen really wants our opinion about whether or not recruits worked out well with us. Sometimes we can be wrong about recruits, which is why the coaches help. After all, they make the final decision.

(L-R) Asst. Coach Shea Mead, Sarah DeShone, Head Coach Colleen Lamoreaux-Tate

But when they ask, it reminds us that this is about team chemistry and that we are team oriented. It lets us know that we are in this together and everyone will be involved.