With several GW women’s basketball players injured this season, two freshmen have stepped up to fill sidelined shoes.
Freshmen Corrin Reid from Alexandria, Va. and Leslie Carlson from Newington, Conn. have seen their roles on the team change with increased playing time.
“You come in here as a freshman to a place like this and you’re expected to do well, but I’ve had to mature and step up a lot more than I thought I’d have to this year because of all the injuries,” Reid said.
After shaking off the initial pressure, Reid has started to show more composure on the court. She played a career-high 23 minutes during Friday’s game against Fordham, and contributed four assists. The athletic 5-10 guard is aggressive both defensively and offensively – and has the ability to drive inside.
“She does a lot of positive things, I’m real happy with her progress,” GW head coach Joe McKeown said. “She gets better every day, and I’m really excited about her future.”
At Dayton Jan. 24, she scored a career-high seven points and grabbed four rebounds. She also came away with three steals against St. Joseph’s Feb. 1.
“I keep working hard, and the Coach sees that I just try to bring a lot of defense and pressure to the game,” Reid said.
After playing well in earlier games Carlson, a 6-4 center, earned a start against Dayton. She made her first collegiate start an impressive one by scoring a career-high 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting, and grabbing seven rebounds.
“She’s hanging in there,” McKeown said. “She gave us a big lift on the road in Ohio (against Xavier and Dayton).” McKeown said he feels that with more experience and learning from the veterans on the team, Carlson will improve.
“She needs to play more games, she needs competition every day,” McKeown said. Carlson also started against George Mason, where she contributed with two blocks and four points.
GW’s veterans have played a major role in the development of these two freshmen.
“They keep telling me to keep my head up, and everything will fall into place,” Reid said. “They’re my home away from home.”
All the playing time this duo is getting can only be positive for their futures and the team’s future.
“They’re good kids, they work hard and they have great attitudes,” McKeown said.
