Recruiting requires a coach to become completely versed in the ability and life of the players that he or she covets. Preparing for the NCAA Tournament this week has given Rene Portland a chance to become reacquainted with the skills of a player she once took a close look at while recruiting.

The player that the Penn State women's basketball coach has been looking at on scouting tapes is Damita Bullock, a 5-foot-10 guard who has helped turn the Tennessee-Chattanooga Lady Mocs into a hoops power.

Portland became familiar with Bullock's game while the talented senior was garnering two first-team all-state honors at Harrisburg High School. A player who averaged 23 points per game in her senior year at Harrisburg, Bullock was a baller whose ability was coveted by many universities, including Penn State.

"We did spend our time recruiting her and she went to Division II at Francis Marion where this coach (Chattanooga coach Wes Moore) is from," Portland said. "She certainly was of our caliber talent-wise when we watched her."

In the end Bullock chose to play her collegiate ball at Francis Marion. At Francis Marion, Bullock got her first exposure to Moore, now the coach of the Mocs. Moore said that when Bullock had a hard time adjusting to college life when she first arrived.

However, Bullock did become more comfortable in college and was named Freshman of the Year in her conference.

When Moore took the jump to Division I to coach Chattanooga he talked to the president of Francis Marion about taking Bullock along with him.

"He said no, I think she would be better off going with you," Moore said. "So that made me feel better about robbing her I guess."

Because of the transfer Bullock had to redshirt her first year at Chattanooga. She said that it was hard, but that the success her team has had over the past three seasons has made it all worthwhile.

That success includes the Mocs two consecutive NCAA Tournament births. Last season Chattanooga put a scare into Clemson and almost upset the Tigers in the first round of the tournament.

The success also includes Bullock's double Southern Conference Player of the Year awards. She was selected as the outstanding player in the SoCon in both her sophomore and junior season.

Bullock's accolades are evidence that she has proven to the people of Tennessee that she is a great basketball player. Now she gets the chance to show the people in her home state how much she has grown, something Portland already knows.

"She certainly has improved her game," Portland said. "I think anyone that gets to the next level just gets better, gets stronger. She was the player of her league her sophomore and junior year so she certainly has grown and done a great job for Wes."

Bullock is happy to be playing in front of friends and family, but it is not what is driving her to play her best. Bullock said just being in the NCAA Tournament is enough to get her fired up.

This will be Bullock's last tournament, as she is scheduled to graduate this semester. As she looks back on a career that took many turns she knows that everything worked out well in the end.

"I remember that year I redshirted, it was hard," Bullock said. "Now the success we have had over the last three years and being a part of that, it makes me feel good being a key player on the team and a leader for the team. It feels good knowing where the program was and where we are at now."

There is little doubt that it also makes her feel good to look at where she is now.