Frohlich, Lady Rebels have high expectations

Victoria Sun

Friday, Nov. 16, 2001 | 12:30 p.m.

The individual accolades are nice -- and she has plenty of them -- but UNLV senior forward Linda Frohlich would give them all up for just one trip to the NCAA Tournament.

As the Lady Rebels prepared to open their season against Cal State Fullerton tonight at Cox Pavilion, the charismatic Frohlich spoke with a sense of urgency about her final season and reflected on her college career.

"I will not be complete if we do not make it to the NCAA Tournament," she said. "Basketball is a team sport so I could have all those trophies that are on my shelf, but all I want is a trip to the NCAAs.

"Going to the WNIT (last year), we saw what it was like. It was so special."

That adjective is commonly used to describe the 6-foot-2 Frohlich.

In three years at UNLV she has averaged 21.5 points, 10 rebounds, 3.3 assists and one block.

Frohlich is adept at scoring inside and out, making her invaluable to the Lady Rebels. She's the biggest reason why they may finally get to the big dance next March.

She led the Mountain West in scoring (19.2 ppg) last season and was named the conference player of the year for the second time. As a freshman, she garnered National Freshman of the Year honors from the Women's Basketball Journal and the United States Basketball Writers' Association. She also was a first-team All-WAC selection and freshman of the year.

UNLV has improved its record each year since Frohlich's arrival from Olendorf, Germany.

While others have suggested that she would have been better off attending an established basketball power instead of UNLV, she dismisses the idea.

"I would never really think about that the way other people do," Frohlich said. "When I think about it, it's like with all the other things in life, the what-ifs?

"What if I had gone to another school and it would have been worse? I'm just trying to be happy with what I have. It could have been better, but it could have been worse."

For Frohlich, there have been plenty of good experiences at UNLV. She is proud of how far the program has come since she arrived.

When she arrived, the Lady Rebels played in the tiny South Gym on campus. Then they played a few home games in the Thomas & Mack before moving there permanently. But this year, the Lady Rebels will play in the brand new Cox Pavilion, built specifically for UNLV women's basketball and volleyball.

"I think all these things are so satisfying for a player," Frolich said. "I think if we would have had everything from the very beginning, we would have had nothing to fight for if everything is given to you.

"I think by working for it and having earned all this, that is what I've really enjoyed."

The Lady Rebels went 19-10 overall last season, 8-6 in the Mountain West. They advanced to the second round of the WNIT before losing to Oklahoma State, 71-67.

With three returning starters and six key players back, Frohlich is more optimistic than ever about the team's season.

Others seem to agree.

UNLV is ranked 22nd in Street & Smith's College Basketball's preseason top 25, 20th in the Women's Basketball Journal and 25th in Women's Basketball Magazine.