By Natalie Achonwa

Although I played in last year’s NCAA Tournament, my experience this year has been completely different since I am now on the staff side. The biggest difference, I think, is that when you’re a player, you have everything laid out for you. All you have to do is show up and play basketball. Now I am on the side that is organizing and scheduling everything so the players can just play.

The fact that I still get to be a part of the NCAA and Notre Dame has been tremendous for me, allowing me to bridge the gap from being a professional athlete and a college athlete. Of course, my knee forced me to bridge that gap, but this has kept me involved in the game and has kept me in a basketball mindset while I’m rehabbing.

My title with Notre Dame now is Director of Operations. In this role, I try to help make the coaches’ jobs easier so they can focus on coaching and the players’ jobs easier so they can focus on playing. So I’ll do just about everything, including scheduling charter flights, hotel rooms, practice rooms, meals at the hotel among other things. I am a pretty organized person—that has always been my personality—so it’s been a good fit for me. It’s been great to see the other side and you certainly can appreciate it more…but I am really looking forward to someone taking care of those things for me when I get back with the Fever!

As for my gameday preparation and nerves being on the staff side, I definitely see a difference. I’ve always thought that if you’re too hyped up for a game then you’re not focused enough, but if you’re too calm, you’re not ready for the opponent and that’s when you get upset. So I think a bit of nerves is always good. The type of nerves we have on the staff is completely different from the types of nerves you have as a player though. As a player, you have control of the action. The nerves are more of wanting to get the game started. On the staff, you have zero control. Your work is done more beforehand, especially in my role. The coaches can draw plays and affect the game that way, but I am at the mercy of who’s on the court and who’s coaching. So, while I do get nervous, it’s mostly exciting. I have seen these players grow as the year has progressed, I have seen what they gone through and I’m excited to see them on this big stage.

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