Elyce Knudsen has already scored 839 points for Millikin in her career, even though she is only a freshman eligibility-wise due to COVID. Millikin athletics photo

By Brian Lester
D3sports.com

Elyce Knudsen knew that when it came time for her to go to college, she wanted to go to a school that would give her an opportunity to not only have success on a personal level, but to be part of something special.

So she chose Millikin, a team that, until this season, had not been to the NCAA Tournament since it won the national title in 2005. That didn't matter, though, because the coach, Olivia Lett, was selling something she and her teammates could buy into.

Fast forward to 2022 and the Big Blue (23-6) are headed to the Sweet 16, surviving a close call against UW-Eau Claire, 59-56, last weekend to advance and move one step closer to the dream Lett and the players always believed was possible here.

“This is something that coach talked about when she recruited me,” said Knudsen, the sophomore standout. “It was my goal before I even committed, that I wanted to compete nationally and lead a team here and even further. To see it all come into play is a really surreal feeling.”

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Lett talked about making this kind of success possible because she knows what it’s like to be at this level.

As a player, the fourth-year head coach was on an Illinois Wesleyan team that won the national championship in 2012, earning D3hoops.com Player of the Year honors.

Then, during her time as an assistant coach at Chicago, she was with a team that made it to the NCAA tourney twice.

Now, as a head coach, she sometimes still can’t believe her program has come so far so fast.

“It’s hit me at different times that were really right there while remembering where we were at one time,” Lett said. “To get these players to come in and help build something, it’s great. I’m blessed to have women who are willing to work the way they work and put in the effort and commitment to do it. That’s why we’ve been able to change things so quickly.”

Knudsen, the CCIW Most Outstanding Student-Athlete and the D3hoops.com Central Region Rookie of the Year last season, has been a huge part of it. She leads the Big Blue in scoring at 20.6 points per game while pulling down 5.6 rebounds.

Knudsen has also knocked down 53 shots from beyond the arc and has been a force defensively with team highs in steals (65) and blocks (23).

Because of her presence on the court and her ability to score, she naturally draws attention. And yet, her teammates have still found ways to make sure she’s effective and able to do what she does best.

“Teams are more focused on face-guarding me, and there is more pressure, but I’ve adapted to it,” Knudsen said. “They get me open and get me looks. They are more than willing to get the ball in my hands. It’s worked so far and we want to keep going with it.”

What’s also worked is that her teammates have embraced their roles. Players like Jordan Hildebrand, who came back for a fifth year even though her role has changed. She’s still the third-leading scorer on the team at 11.4 points per game.

Or Aubrey Staton, who Lett notes has become more of a knock-down shooter. She is second on the team in 3-pointers made (51).

Jazmin Brown has seen her role change as well, and yet she continues to own it each time, according to Lett, who adds that Brown is often a leader on the bench. Bailey Coffman, meanwhile, is averaging 13,3 points per game and has drilled 40 3-pointers.

“There are different pieces to a puzzle, but they all fit,” Lett said. “That’s the key when you are trying to compete to get to a final four and play for a national championship. Everyone has to understand their roles and buy into them. Everyone has to be really great at their role to achieve what we want to achieve.”

Knudsen loves to see it.

“It helps a lot and takes some of the pressure off me,” Knudsen said. “I love seeing my teammates step up. They do a great job.”

Lett, though, knows success goes beyond what takes place on the court. The CCIW Coach of the Year talks about being greater than 94.

Olivia Lett has won a national title as a player and has coached in the NCAA Tournament as an assistant coach, and now is in the tournament as a head coach. Millikin athletics photo

“It’s not just about the 94 feet on the court,” Lett said. “It’s about what else you can bring to the program and to the community you are a part of.”

This team has lived by that motto.

“It’s an infectious group that everyone wants to be part of because of their personality and their energy,” Lett said. “They play hard and play with passion, and it's hard not to love a group like that.”

Knudsen said she spent her summer preparing for this kind of season, often commuting the 45 minutes from her home to the campus to work on her game.

And now, she’s doing what she can to be ready for the next challenge, a date with Hope, the No. 2 team in the country in the D3hoops.com Top 25. Hope is 28-1 and has won its last 12 games, not to mention the previous 61 before that loss.

“We have to focus on our next opponent but also stay true to what we do. Coach is always hammering that home,” Knudsen said. “We’ll talk about the other team, their strengths and weaknesses, but we also have to focus on what we do well to have success.”

Lett still talks on occasion with Lori Kerans, who coached the Millikin team that basked in championship glory 17 years ago. She also remembers what it was like to be in big moments as a player, and she wants her team to savor each one.

“As much as I want us to be prepared, and I was very locked in when I was a player, you need some of that looseness. You need to have fun,” Lett said. “I want us to enjoy the steps along the way. I told the girls that when I was recruiting them. That locker room after we advanced to the Sweet 16 was the most excited group I’ve been around, including when I was a player at that point in time (in the tournament). It’s a cool feeling to see it come to fruition that we are enjoying the moment we are in.”