Only 5-foot-7, lady cagers’ Darling playing like 7-footer

By DONNIE COLLINS
Collegian Staff Writer

Someone forgot to tell Helen Darling that she's just a point guard.

Someone forgot to tell her that she's just 5-foot-7, and that her main duty is to pass the ball off to her much taller teammates and stick the occasional 3-point basket.

Judging by Darling's play this season and her unending desire to challenge the opponents' larger post players, it's unlikely she would listen to them anyway.

Yesterday, Darling was named the Big Ten's co-Player of the Week along with Purdue's Stephanie White-McCarty. During the Lady Lions' marathon three-game home stand last week, Darling averaged 14.6 points, 9.7 assists and six rebounds per game against Indiana, Northwestern and Wisconsin. She added 16 more points and seven assists on Sunday in the Lions' 88-64 win at Iowa.

Darling's most impressive showing last week came Friday against Wisconsin. She scored 16 points and dished out 15 assists. Ironically, Penn State coach Rene Portland was unhappy with Darling's play in the first half of the 91-61 win over the youthful Badgers. She said Darling's play was too lethargic, too slow. She needed to pick up her play.

"I thought her pace was too slow in the first half. Fifteen assists is absolutely incredible in a game that was this physical," Portland said. "For awhile we used to go as she went. When we were bad, it was because she was having a bad night. Helen makes this team kick. In the second half, she gutted it out for me and made things happen."

All season, Darling has been making the big plays when her team has needed big plays. She's made smart plays when her team has needed smart plays.

She's been the vocal leader on a squad aiming for a finish among the elite teams in the Big Ten.

As for her 15 assists, Darling's personal best and the most ever recorded by a Lion at The Bryce Jordan Center, Darling turned away suggestions that it was merely an individual effort.

True leaders never take all the credit.

"I owe that all to my teammates for catching the ball and putting it in the basket," Darling said after her 12-point, seven-assist performance last Wednesday against Northwestern. "I was joking with (Penn State guard) Lisa (Shepherd) earlier. I said, ‘I would have 10 assists if you guys put the ball in the basket.' I was just teasing. But I do give a lot of credit to my teammates."

Darling gives her teammates more than just a lot of credit.

She gives them a never-say-die attitude, a win-at-all-costs mentality that may end up being a driving force toward the Big Ten title.

"We need to win. We lost a couple games we shouldn't have lost, but we can't look back at the past," Darling said. "We have to play together, play as a team, and just have fun. We all have the will to win. We want to win so bad that we'll do whatever it takes to win."