Were it not for her height, the 75 inches that set her, literally, head and shoulders above most women, there would be little indication that Kim Calhoun is a basketball player.
The Lady Lion sophomore simply doesn't fit the mold of the "typical" female athlete. Her tall, slender frame might seem more fit for a figure skater. And in a sport that constantly grows more physical, where the interior bumping of the men's game is slowly creeping into style, Calhoun sticks out.
"I'm not big and built like a lot of other people," Calhoun admitted. "I don't see myself as intimidating. I'm frail."
Maybe it's this fraility, this lack of an overwhelming physical presence, that lulls Calhoun's opponents to sleep in the paint. Maybe that's why she has such an easy time sending their shots into sustained orbit on a regular basis.
The 6-foot-3 center currently leads the Big Ten in blocks with 2.7 swats a game, a number that puts her on the fringe of the top 10 nationally.
"It just comes naturally," Calhoun said of her knack for redirecting shots. "I guess it came from high school, 'cause everyone was shorter than me. It was easy to block then."
Considering Calhoun's adeptness as a shot blocker, it's a wonder that the Verona native isn't starting for the Lady Lions. And why not?
Because she doesn't want to.
"Early in the season, I was ready to put her in the starting lineup and she asked me not to," Coach Rene Portland said. "She is a little nervous, and she has to outgrow that."
Maybe the jitters stem from Calhoun's apparent lack of enthusiasm about the game. In a day when hooping is the ultimate hip pastime, Calhoun isn't caught up in the basketball hype.
"I'm not like most people, they want to be like Jordan," Calhoun said. "There is a life outside of basketball."
If Calhoun seems apathetic, don't buy it. Though she may not eat, sleep and breath hoops, her coaches and teammates agree that Calhoun's dedication to the game is unsurpassed.
"Kim's wonderful to work with," Assistant Coach Susan Robinson said. "She's really just one of the most prepared people. I would say she's a perfectionist because she gets angry when she messes up."
If perfectionism is one of Calhoun's traits, so is an apparent inability to talk herself up. Off the court, she may even come off as dry. But her teammates are quick to correct that misconception.
As Masley tells it, Calhoun has a bit of a wild side. Aside from a quirky affection for turkey and onion sandwiches, Calhoun employs an effective pregame tension-breaker that leaves her teammates in stitches.
"I wish you could see one of these pregame speeches she gives," Masley said, trying to recreate a typical Calhoun inspirational piece. " 'OK, what is a Buckeye? They are not great. We are great. They're just a nut. We crush nuts.' And then they'll be a pause and it'll be real quiet, and then she'll say, 'Let's kick their ass.' "
Calhoun has helped in the Lady Lions' tail-kicking ways with more than just goofy pep-talks. She's shooting 56 percent and averaging 6.9 points a contest, and has developed a consistent touch on her mid-range jumper. Her threat as a scorer is a welcome development from last season, when she put up only three points a game.
"I was tentative," Calhoun said. "I was able to shoot that in high school, but I really didn't shoot it my freshman year."
Calhoun's offensive progress gets high praise from Robinson, who knows a little about scoring from the post.
"I think Kim's coming along real well," Robinson, the Lady Lions' all-time leading scorer, said. "She is a finesse player. We just tried to build on her strength and teach her moves that really exploit that."
For now, Calhoun seems content to quietly do her part through belly laughs and blocked shots alike. Leave it to Masley to hype Calhoun up.
"She's modest about what she's doing and the impact she's had on our program this year," Masley said. "She's a great spark and she just lifts everyone else up."
