Northwestern University Athletics
Photo by: Stephen J. Carrera
Lindsey Pulliam Locks In Ahead of Senior Season
11/20/2020 10:40:00 AM | Women's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Senior Lindsey Pulliam ended last season as one of the best players in the conference after Northwestern's historic Big Ten championship, but in the eight tumultuous months since March, Pulliam knows she must refine her game once more ahead of a bigger challenge.
She started last season by becoming the fastest Wildcat to reach 1000 points and finished it with 563 points to lead the Northwestern offense. She was named the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year ahead of the upcoming season, but she believes there's another level she can reach this year.
Pulliam hopes to improve all aspects of her game, but with the loss of Abbie Wolf and Abi Scheid, she's focusing on her three point percentage and rebounding to make up for the production they brought to the court. She says improving her three-point shot is all about repetition: "It's getting shots up before practice, after practice and whenever I have time to get in the gym." Pulliam already improved her three-point percentage by nearly 17 points from her sophomore to junior season and wants to become even more lethal from deep.
There's a lot of other changes the Northwestern offense will implement this year to adapt to their smaller size. "We're going to try and spread the floor a lot more," Pulliam said. "I think we're a lot faster now too. Being able to play fast, spread the floor and create for each other is going to be a big thing for us this year." Pulliam still hopes to repeat the success she saw last season this year; her personal goal is a back-to-back Big Ten Championship and a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
Heading into her fourth season, Pulliam has figured out how to withstand the rigors of a draining season. While she's not immune to getting tired, she doesn't let it take her out of games. She instead focuses on having the mental capacity to push through to accomplish her goals and win. Instead of thinking about fatigue, she thinks about her drive and her ability to keep playing. Pulliam says it's the bigger picture that pushes her, and her constant quest to get better has an end goal beyond this season.
Pulliam's mental toughness is often most evident in the biggest moments, when the team needs a basket. There were lots of times last season when Pulliam delivered the goods: scoring eight straight points in an overtime win against Marquette, putting away a buzzer-beating layup against Minnesota, and her game-jumper to cap off a furious comeback against Nebraska. But the pressure to perform doesn't faze Pulliam; she likes having that weight on her shoulders. "I think it makes me play better… I kinda live for that and I definitely enjoy it," she said.
But the challenge ahead will be decidedly different from past seasons and there's a lot more to worry about. The pandemic is always at the back of Pulliam's mind, especially the waiting period after a positive COVID-19 test. A theme of this season for her is controlling what she can, but she says it's still stressful not knowing what's going to happen. Currently, the team doesn't know in what capacity they'll be able to see their families over the holidays. Pulliam says it would be tough not to see her family for Christmas; they're her biggest support system. "They're there when I have a good game and they're there when I have a bad game," she said. "They're a big part of my success."
Fortunately, Pulliam thinks that the team has been handling the pandemic well and doing everything they should to keep each other safe. The one upside to the pandemic is that the whole team has been spending a lot more time with each other inside their bubble, which has the potential to help the team on the court. "Our team dynamic was a big part of our success last year," Pulliam explained. "How much we trust each other and we know each other contributes a lot to how successful we are on the court."
She also thinks that the team does a great job of supporting one another and everyone on the team is her biggest cheerleader. If she's not doing schoolwork or playing basketball, she's hanging out with her teammates. Before the pandemic, Pulliam enjoyed go-karts, laser tag and amusement parks. Now, the team has to be a little more innovative with their free time. "On Saturdays, for the football game, we'll go to somebody's apartment and watch the game," she said. "Play games, get some food and spend time together… we try to get creative." Her favorite game right now is Phase 10.
Pulliam also spends a lot of time with her younger teammates and hopes to lead them through her own example. She helps out wherever she can and tries to keep an open line of communication with them. This includes criticizing the first years for saying last week that fellow senior Jordan Hamilton is the funniest person on the team. "I guess Jordan's pretty funny," Pulliam said. "She's my roommate so I'll let that one slide, but very questionable."
She started last season by becoming the fastest Wildcat to reach 1000 points and finished it with 563 points to lead the Northwestern offense. She was named the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year ahead of the upcoming season, but she believes there's another level she can reach this year.
Pulliam hopes to improve all aspects of her game, but with the loss of Abbie Wolf and Abi Scheid, she's focusing on her three point percentage and rebounding to make up for the production they brought to the court. She says improving her three-point shot is all about repetition: "It's getting shots up before practice, after practice and whenever I have time to get in the gym." Pulliam already improved her three-point percentage by nearly 17 points from her sophomore to junior season and wants to become even more lethal from deep.
There's a lot of other changes the Northwestern offense will implement this year to adapt to their smaller size. "We're going to try and spread the floor a lot more," Pulliam said. "I think we're a lot faster now too. Being able to play fast, spread the floor and create for each other is going to be a big thing for us this year." Pulliam still hopes to repeat the success she saw last season this year; her personal goal is a back-to-back Big Ten Championship and a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
Heading into her fourth season, Pulliam has figured out how to withstand the rigors of a draining season. While she's not immune to getting tired, she doesn't let it take her out of games. She instead focuses on having the mental capacity to push through to accomplish her goals and win. Instead of thinking about fatigue, she thinks about her drive and her ability to keep playing. Pulliam says it's the bigger picture that pushes her, and her constant quest to get better has an end goal beyond this season.
Pulliam's mental toughness is often most evident in the biggest moments, when the team needs a basket. There were lots of times last season when Pulliam delivered the goods: scoring eight straight points in an overtime win against Marquette, putting away a buzzer-beating layup against Minnesota, and her game-jumper to cap off a furious comeback against Nebraska. But the pressure to perform doesn't faze Pulliam; she likes having that weight on her shoulders. "I think it makes me play better… I kinda live for that and I definitely enjoy it," she said.
But the challenge ahead will be decidedly different from past seasons and there's a lot more to worry about. The pandemic is always at the back of Pulliam's mind, especially the waiting period after a positive COVID-19 test. A theme of this season for her is controlling what she can, but she says it's still stressful not knowing what's going to happen. Currently, the team doesn't know in what capacity they'll be able to see their families over the holidays. Pulliam says it would be tough not to see her family for Christmas; they're her biggest support system. "They're there when I have a good game and they're there when I have a bad game," she said. "They're a big part of my success."
Fortunately, Pulliam thinks that the team has been handling the pandemic well and doing everything they should to keep each other safe. The one upside to the pandemic is that the whole team has been spending a lot more time with each other inside their bubble, which has the potential to help the team on the court. "Our team dynamic was a big part of our success last year," Pulliam explained. "How much we trust each other and we know each other contributes a lot to how successful we are on the court."
She also thinks that the team does a great job of supporting one another and everyone on the team is her biggest cheerleader. If she's not doing schoolwork or playing basketball, she's hanging out with her teammates. Before the pandemic, Pulliam enjoyed go-karts, laser tag and amusement parks. Now, the team has to be a little more innovative with their free time. "On Saturdays, for the football game, we'll go to somebody's apartment and watch the game," she said. "Play games, get some food and spend time together… we try to get creative." Her favorite game right now is Phase 10.
Pulliam also spends a lot of time with her younger teammates and hopes to lead them through her own example. She helps out wherever she can and tries to keep an open line of communication with them. This includes criticizing the first years for saying last week that fellow senior Jordan Hamilton is the funniest person on the team. "I guess Jordan's pretty funny," Pulliam said. "She's my roommate so I'll let that one slide, but very questionable."
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