Today, FALL/WINTER 2006 1 - University of the Ozarks

Women’s basketball standout MandiCarter hopes to design a winning seasonfor the 2006-2007 Lady EaglesMandi Carter’s love of fashiontook her away from U of O, buta love for basketball andcompetition brought her back.Carter is a 6-foot-1 forward fromClarksville, and has been a standout forthe Lady Eagles’ basketball team. Sheenters her senior season on the cusp ofbeing one of the program’s all-time leadingscorers and rebounders.But it was basketball that took abackseat to Carter’s love for the fashionindustry two years ago. After two stellarseasons for the Lady Eagles, Cartertransferred to the University of Alabamain 2004 to pursue a major in fashion.“I’ve always loved clothes anddesigning clothes and the whole fashionindustry,” she said. “There is somethingso exciting about a fashion show.”Though she loved her fashion classesat Alabama, she quickly realized shemissed basketball and athletic competition.“I’d play in the recreation center fouror five nights a week, and I playedintramurals, but there was just somethingmissing,” said Carter. “There is noWhether on the basketball court or thesoccer field, Mandi Carter has been astandout for the Lady Eagles.substitute for that feeling you get playingin a game and competing. I knew I couldalways pursue a career in design andfashion later, but this was my one chanceto play college basketball.”Carter transferred back to Ozarks forthe 2005-2006 season and averaged 13.8points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds inhelping the Lady Eagles advance to theconference tournament for the first timein three years. She is one of threereturning starters this year who will try toget Ozarks back to postseason play.First-year Lady Eagles CoachChristina Jost, who has served as anassistant coach the past two years, saidCarter’s well-rounded game makes her agreat player.“She has an excellent work ethic anda real passion for the game,” said Jost.“She has great skills for a post player. Shehas a great passing ability to go with anice shooting range. She can be a scoringthreat inside or outside, and that makesher hard to defend. She also has a greatnose for the basketball, and that’s why sheis such a good rebounder.”Carter has also played soccer for fouryears at U of O. Though she has alwaysbeen among the tallest players on the courtor the soccer field, she has still had to learnto be more aggressive.“It’s really not in my nature to be realaggressive or physical, so I’ve tried towork on that part of my mental game,”Carter said. “I have always been more ofa finesse basketball player, especially inhigh school. I’ve definitely become morephysical since I’ve been in college, bothin basketball and in soccer.”Carter, who has started 75 out of apossible 76 games in her career at Ozarks,has scored 1,088 career points andgrabbed 610 career rebounds. She shouldfinish in the top five in both categories inthe school’s career record books.“I think it would be nice to have someof those records, but it’s not reallysomething I think about,” Carter said.“Our goals are to have a winning recordand to make it to the playoffs, and that’swhat I’m focusing on.”Carter did get to use her fashiontalents to design the team’s T-shirts forthe 2006-2007 season, T-shirts she will getto wear along with her younger sister,Savannah. Another reason Carter wantedto return to Ozarks was for the chance toplay alongside her sister. Until last year,they had never played on the same team.“It never worked out that we playedtogether, so being able to do that is veryspecial,” Carter said. “I miss the fashionand design classes I had at Alabama, butthat can wait. Right now I’m enjoying thechance to play basketball.”2006-2007 U of OBasketball ScheduleDate M/W Opponent11/17-18 M at Austin College Tourn.11/17-18 W at N. Central Coll. Tourn.11/21 M/W Rust College11/25 M/W Howard Payne*11/27 M/W Sul Ross State*11/30 M/W at Schreiner*12/2 M/W at Texas Lutheran*12/7 M/W Hardin-Simmons*12/9 W at Hendrix College12/9 M McMurry*12/16 W McMurry*1/2 M/W Hendrix College1/4 M/W at Concordia-Austin*1/6 M/W at Mary Hardin-Baylor*1/11 M/W at East Texas Baptist*1/13 M/W at LeTourneau*1/18 M/W Louisiana College*1/20 M/W Mississippi College*1/25 M/W UT-Dallas*1/27 M/W UT-Tyler* (Hall of Fame)1/30 M at Univ. of Central Ark.2/1 M/W at UT-Dallas*2/3 M/W at UT-Tyler*2/8 M/W at Louisiana College*2/10 M/W at Mississippi College*2/15 M/W East Texas Baptist*2/17 M/W LeTourneau* &2/23-25 M/W ASC Tournament (TBA)* American Southwest Conference Game& Homecoming GameToday, FALL/WINTER 2006 17