Froehlich’s play as good as her word for Rebels

Thursday, Dec. 3, 1998 | 11:08 a.m.

Fortunately for the UNLV women's basketball team, Linda Froehlich is a woman of her word.

When she was being recruited earlier this year by Regina Miller, then the head coach at Western Illinois, Froehlich told Miller she would play for her, but not at under-funded Western Illinois.

A few months later, Miller got the head coaching position at UNLV and Froehlich was one of the first recruits Miller landed.

"I told (Miller), I didn't want to go to Western Illinois if she stayed there but if she (got the) UNLV (job), I would be there," Froehlich said. "I promised her that I would here and then she got the job so I had to come; I gave her my word."

The 19-year-old native of Oldendorf, Germany, has been giving Miller more than that.

The 6-2 freshman has been one of the keys to the Lady Rebels' remarkable turnaround under the first-year coach, averaging a Western Athletic Conference-high 26.3 points in leading UNLV to a perfect 4-0 start.

Froehlich, a member of the German National Team, also is leading the WAC in rebounding (11.3 per game) and steals (16 in four games). That comes as no surprise to Miller, who coveted Froehlich from the first time she saw her on a basketball court.

"Linda has the ability to score inside and outside; she's a very versatile player for us," Miller said. "She has shown the ability to shoot the three as well as score in the block so she has been very productive for us."

Indeed. In leading the Lady Rebels to the championship in the Golden Gopher Classic last weekend, Froehlich scored a season-high 39 points against Delaware and added 24 points in the title game against host Minnesota. For her efforts, Froehlich was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player and the WAC's Mountain Division Player of the Week.

Not bad for a freshman who admits to feeling pangs of homesickness in her first prolonged stay away from her close-knit family.

"(Las Vegas) is different to my little village," Froehlich said. "It has been hard to adjust and to get through the whole transition from being alone, without my parents.

"I have one brother and three sisters (in Germany) and I really want to see them growing up. It's weird to experience that because I'm a real family person. No one expected I would go so far away from home, no one in my family."

The Lady Rebels will return to the Lied Gymnasium Friday and Saturday for the Four Queens Shootout. South Florida will take on Tennessee-Chattanooga at 5 p.m. Friday while the Lady Rebels will meet Belmont at 7. The losers will play in the consolation game Saturday at 5 p.m., with the winners meeting Saturday at 7.

For Froehlich, this weekend's games will give her a chance to forget about being so far from her family during the holiday season.

As for being able to continue her prolific offensive production, Froehlich said she isn't worried about living up to other people's expectations.

"I appreciate that people believe in me, but the only person who really puts pressure on me is myself," she said. "If I don't play well in the other games, then I will be disappointed because I didn't do my job."