Masley not unfamiliar with role in ABL

On virtually every team and in every sport there are role players.

There is the hockey player who drops his gloves and regularly sacrifices his teeth to protect the marquee goal scorer, the football player who takes shots like a sitting duck on punt returns while watching a teammate rack up yards and endorsement contracts and the basketball player who plays tough defense instead of making "SportsCenter"-worthy dunks.

Former Lady Lion basketball player Missy Masley puts herself in this category.

"I was always a role player, even at Penn State," Masley said. "I think my role is to one, concentrate. My role should be rebounding. The other is to run the floor. There are too many people on my team who can score."

But with one look at the Penn State record books or her current numbers with the American Basketball League's Atlanta Glory, it becomes clear the 6-foot-2 forward is more than a one-dimensional player. Masley finished her career at Penn State in 1995 with 1,106 points and 721 rebounds, eighth on the Lady Lion all-time list.

With teammates like Olympian Teresa Edwards and former Purdue star Stacey Lovelace, it may be hard to put up big numbers, but Masley is holding her own among the best players in the world.

"(Masley) gives 110 percent every day and every night. She is a warrior in the post," Glory center Rachel Hemmer said. "She never gives up. She has heart -- a trait that not many players have today."

Drafted into the league as an alternate, Masley has stepped up to earn a spot in the starting five. While she may not dazzle crowds like Edwards, Masley has posted solid numbers for the Glory, averaging 8.3 points and 3.4 rebounds in 20.9 minutes per game.

"Missy was originally drafted as an alternate, and she has come from there to become a starter. That's saying something," Glory coach Trish Roberts said. "She has a great work ethic, a positive attitude and she has given us stability in the post."

Masley's patience and consistency on the floor have resulted in her shooting an ABL-leading 60 percent from the field. This "role player" quietly is shooting more consistently than the former Olympians and collegiate stars who populate the league.

"She's with all-world. Edwards is all-world," Lady Lion coach Rene Portland said. "She has a bunch of guards who like to jack the ball up, so obviously she's just a rebounder. That's how she gets most of her points."

For Masley, who spent a year playing professionally in Europe, the chance to join the ABL was too good to pass up. She said her time in the ABL has been easier than her collegiate and European careers.

"We have these couple of years to really just have fun. Of course, the intensity is much higher. Every single player can light it up," she said. "Before, I figured I wanted to play basketball one year overseas. You now can do what you love. It's just opened so many doors for women."

One of Masley's benefits of playing in the ABL has been getting to know some of the players she faced in the Big Ten. While Lovelace is now her teammate, former Ohio State star Katie Smith plays for the Columbus Quest. Masley said the ABL fosters a much different relationship among competitors than the college game.

"I used to hate Katie Smith. Now, I actually look forward to playing Columbus," she said. "It's an honor to be out there. I like seeing everybody, but sometimes you still want to knock someone in the head with an elbow."

While Smith and the Quest have moved to the top of the ABL standings, the Glory has struggled to meet extremely high expectations. The team stands at 12-19 on the season, three games out of a playoff spot. But with a month left in the season, Masley said the team is just starting to take advantage of its talented roster.

"These past couple of games have been totally different. (Edwards) has shown a completely different side," Masley said. "This year or next year, sometimes it takes a while, but we're definitely getting better."

Her planned entrance into medical school has been delayed a bit longer as the 23-year-old Masley pursues her hoop dreams. While she plans to apply next year, she hopes to defer her enrollment for a little more time on the court.

"How many people love their job? You can always study," Masley said. "I'm not ready for it yet. I've still got too much of that basketball thing left in me."