Krick key cog in Redbirds’ rise

Former Lady Panther lands first-team all-MVC honors

Maggie Krick has fulfilled the promise she carried with her to Illinois State University.

Krick, the all-time leading scorer in Washington Community High School girls basketball history with 2,089 points, has been a key component of highly-successful Redbird teams for four years.

A lot of options were available for the four-year varsity player who led the Lady Panthers to a school-record 26 wins in 2005-06 and was named a first-team all-state player by multiple organizations.

“Looking back, it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life,” Krick said of selecting ISU for her Division I women’s hoops career. “I couldn’t ask for a better four years.”

The Redbirds recently locked up their third straight Missouri Valley Conference championship.

A 15-game winning streak that just recently was broken propelled them to a 23-6 record for the regular season.

Although Krick currently leads the team with averages of 3.8 assists and 34.2 minutes and is second with 14.8 points per game, she deflected her individual impact on the team.

“To be honest, our team has played so well lately,” Krick said Feb. 25. “We’ve had great balance. It’s about doing what I can for the team.”

The 20-win season is ISU’s fourth in a row under head coach Robin Pingeton.

“I think the coaching staff is second to none,” Krick said. “They challenge us every day and we have a lot of talented players.”

The program is eyeing a fourth consecutive postseason appearance. It will go to this weekend’s MVC Tournament in St. Charles, Mo., as the No. 1 seed.

The Redbirds participated in the WNIT in 2007 and ’09, reaching the semifinals a year ago, and played in the NCAA Tournament in ’08.

The ladies are seeking a return to the Big Dance after missing out last season when they did not win the Valley Tournament title.

“We learned a lot from last year not to take anything for granted,” Krick said.

ISU has produced so many big moments by not looking too far ahead, Krick said.

“We always have the mind set of one game at a time,” she said prior to the Redbirds welcoming Bradley University for a league tilt.

One of the games that stands out for Krick was the championship game of the ’08 conference tournament.

A 70-62 victory over Drake gave ISU the MVC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

“Honestly, it was one of the best nights of my life,” Krick said. “That makes it all worthwhile when you win like that.”

Another highlight was the next game of that 26-7 campaign when the Redbirds faced heavyweight Oklahoma and legendary player Courtney Paris in the NCAA first round in West Lafayette, Ind.

It was announced Wednesday Krick landed first-team all-league honors, adding another level to her list of accolades.

Krick was a second-team all-MVC pick as a junior following an honorable mention all-conference season as a sophomore.

She has made 125 starts in the 129 games in which she has appeared. Krick’s current average for her career is 11.5 points per game, and she needs 17 points to reach 1,500.

Although not able to see any of Washington’s games since she graduated, Krick said she tries to keep up with the team and mentioned the successful season the girls just completed.

Lady Panther head coach Randy Marchand has been to several of Krick’s ISU contests. His squads won 82 games with Krick as the centerpiece.

Krick will return to the Normal campus for a fifth year to complete her hours as a student-teacher. The time requirements for a Division I athlete are too great to allow those obligations to be finished in four.

Krick wants to become a high school business teacher and coach basketball in the future.

Based on her accomplishments in high school and college, Krick can look forward to a bright future.