Kristin Drabyn is giving the University of Maryland-Baltimore County women?s basketball team a reason to be excited while making the rest of the America East Conference nervous.
The 5-foot-7 junior guard is arguably one of the most improved players in the conference this year, giving UMBC (7-6) a viable third scoring option to go along with forward Sharri Rohde (15.1 points per game) and guard Brittnie Hughes (11.6).
Drabyn, an Avon, Ind., native, currently is ninth in the America East in scoring (11.4), 10th in three-point field goal percentage (.348) and first in three-pointers made per game (2.38). This comes after she averaged just 4.1 points in a little more than eight minutes a game as a sophomore.
“Kristin is one of the best shooters you will find playing in a league on our level,” UMBC coach Phil Stern said. “But I?m even more proud of how she has improved other aspects of her game and is contributing in a variety of ways.”
Drabyn?s breakout performance came in last week?s Battle of the Border tournament in Texas when she averaged 19 points, leading UMBC to a first-place finish with wins over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Texas State.
In the final against Texas State, Drabynscored 20 points and connected on a career-high 6 of 10 three-point attempts. Overall in the tournament, she shot 56.5 percent from the field and made 9 of 18 three-point attempts, earning America East player of the week honors for the first time.
“The key has been for me to just be patient,” Drabyn said. “I?ve been through shooting slumps in the past, but I?ve worked hard and really fell into a great role this year.”
Drabyn, who constantly studies film, said much of her desire to improve comes from being a part of a basketball family in hoop-crazed Indiana.
Her father, Steve, is the women?s basketball coach at Avon (Ind.) High, and her older brother, also named Steve, played Division I basketball at Belmont University.
“A lot of what I do comes from being a coach?s daughter,” she said. “Coach Stern is always asking me to work on elements of my game, especially on defense. I guess I?m just a gym rat.”
DRABYN NOTES
» Age: 21
» Height: 5-foot-7
» Position: Guard
» Hometown: Avon, Ind.
» Did you know? She was fourth in America East in three-point field-goal percentage last year at 40.6 percent. Her 4.1 points per game as a sophomore led all UMBC reserves last year. She was a career 86.6 percent free-throw shooter in high school.
