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Morgantown Native Living Her Dream
October 19, 2015 05:26 PM | Women's Basketball
Over the next few weeks, WVUsports.com will highlight members of the 2015-16 West Virginia University women’s basketball team. The seventh installment of this feature includes freshman guard Olivia Seggie.
Determination and a ‘never say never’ attitude helped freshman Olivia Seggie achieve her dreams. The 5-foot-3 guard could have easily given up on her dream to be a Division I basketball player. But through hard work and a hardnosed attitude, she received a call she would never forget.
“I accepted it right on the spot,” exclaimed Seggie when she received a phone call from coach Mike Carey asking her to be a walk-on player at WVU. “When I talked to Coach Carey, I tried to tell him right then that I wanted to accept. He told me, I should take a few days to think about it. It was a really big opportunity for me, and something I always wanted to do. It was a dream of mine.”
The Morgantown native helped Morgantown High School win back-to-back state titles during her junior and senior years. Seggie led the Mohigans in scoring with 15 and 14 points and was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) during the team’s two-year championship run. She would eventually earn West Virginia First Team All-State honors in 2014 and 2015.
“We had such a great group of girls’,” said Seggie. “I loved being part of that team. I think it made it easy for us to win. Not that we didn’t have to work hard, but it was fun for us. We were having fun.”
Since arriving on campus in the summer, Seggie had to quickly adjust from being a high school student-athlete to one that competes in one of the nation’s top women’s basketball conferences – the Big 12.
“I need to learn how to play and be successful with my height,” noted Seggie. “If you’re a successful player, you should be able to play at any level. With my height, it can be difficult. I need to find ways to maneuver around when I’m playing against people that are a lot taller than me.”
Seggie also had to adjust to Coach Carey’s intensity.
“I watched him coach, so I was a little prepared for it,” said Seggie. “It’s not like you can’t deal with it. If you’re a coachable athlete, you can deal with any type of coaching. Even if he’s yelling at you during practices, at the end of the day, he’s going to make you a better player.”
The enthusiastic freshman is excited to see how her team will compete during the 2015-16 season. However, she is taking in every moment as she achieves her dream of wearing West Virginia’s Old Gold and Blue uniform.
“You can do anything you want, if you put your mind to it,” noted Seggie. “When I was a sophomore in high school, I never thought this is where I would be. If you are determined enough, you can do whatever you want.”
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