By Troy A. Bruzewski
Correspondent
Megan Theune leaves the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women’s basketball team after its most successful season in school history, with two conference titles and an experience only made possible by a season-ending injury.
Theune, a Whitewater High School graduate, became a fixture in the Warhawks’ backcourt over the past five years. In the 2009-10 season – her second on the team – the Warhawks won the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) title.
“She’s absolutely a leader and exemplified early the characteristics of a leader,” Whitewater coach Keri Carollo said. “There are a lot of qualities about Megan that have made her an important part of our team and she’s exceptional what she does.”
After a runner-up finish in the WIAC the following year, Theune prepared for a final run at the conference title and a ticket to the NCAA Division III tournament, but the preparation led to her missing the season.
During an open-gym practice, Theune injured her ACL and was forced to miss the entire 2011-12 basketball season. Carollo said a medical redshirt was given and a long recovery process started.
“It happened before we even had a team practice,” Carollo said. “It took her about six or seventh months before she was back and just before her senior season. When you’re going into your senior season, there are a lot of expectations and a lot of excitement.”
But Theune was still on the floor during the season, becoming a student coach for the Warhawks. Carollo welcomed her to the sideline to benefit Theune by experiencing a coach’s view for a season and the players she helped encourage.
“I learned all the little things while being on the bench,” Theune said. “I learned how important an extra pass is or how crucial every possession is on a whole game. I was able to understand more of a coach’s perspective on the game of basketball instead of the player’s.”
During that season, Carollo said a difficult decision needed to be made. Theune, who was on-track to graduate at the end of that school year, had a year of eligibility due to the medical redshirt.
“She had to make a tough choice on whether she wanted to come back,” Carollo said. “She and her parents really discussed the situation and in these situations, the choice has to be what’s best for them.
“But she decided she wanted to finish on a high-note, playing, not being injured.”
Theune returned and en route to helping the Warhawks to a conference title, she won two conference player-of-the-week awards. One week included a season-high 18-point performance in a win over UW-Platteville.
The Warhawks were tops in the WIAC with a 14-2 in-conference record and started their NCAA Tournament run against Wisconsin Lutheran, March 1. Whitewater earned a 68-48 win, which it followed with four consecutive wins, including a 64-62 victory over Amherst in the semifinal.
Theune and the Warhawks had the best season in their school’s history and advanced to the national title game. Unfortunately, they faced another team having the best season in its school’s history.
DePauw entered the game with a perfect 33-0 record and took control early in the championship game. Whitewater trailed 23-4 and was held scoreless for a stretch of nearly 10 minutes. The Warhawks managed just nine points in the first half and were relegated to a runner-up finish with a 69-51 loss.
“In the beginning of the final game we kind of got caught on our heels,” Theune said. “DePauw really could not miss. They shot 61.2 percent from the floor and 66.7 percent from behind the arc. No matter how well you play that is pretty hard to beat.
“We got beat by a really good basketball team.”
For Theune, it was the end to her second year as a team captain and in recognition of her return from injury, Whitewater coaches gave her the Warhawk Award. Carollo said Theune was a significant part of the team’s run for a title.
“She was a huge reason we made a run,” she said. “From the first day she came back from the injury, she kept drilling it into the heads of her teammates that she wanted to win a national championship and though we came just shy, it’s the furthest a woman’s team has ever finished at Whitewater.”
