Meyers steps up

By Kristie Kahl

Besides Rider’s basketball team finding success with a new head coach and a new program, the Broncs have a new powerhouse in sophomore guard Tammy Meyers.

Meyers has come off the bench after sitting out a year because of the transfer rule, with the ability to be a force.

“She’s only a sophomore and she’s already so talented,” Head Coach Lynn Milligan said. “She’s a great student and she’s well-balanced on and off the court. Those are the types of players that we want to build the program around. Those are the girls that we like to have around every day, and give 100 percent on and off the court, and Tammy certainly fits that.”

Meyers’ success stemmed from the name she made for herself in high school, where she earned South Jersey Player of the Year along with Second Team All-State honors. She continued her education at George Mason before finding a home at Rider last year. After transferring, Meyers spent the year learning off-the-court skills that added to the all-around player she is today.

“I think it helped me to see what I had to do in order to help my team, as far as working hard and just doing the little things like keeping encouragement and keeping out all of the negativity,” Meyers said.

Compared to only playing seven minutes per game at George Mason, Meyers has found sufficient time here at Rider, averaging 29.6 minutes a game. In her time of action, she has found the net for 259 points for the season so far.

After scoring a career-high 27 points on Jan. 27 against Siena, Meyers is at the top of her game, averaging 11.8 points per game with a 43.9 field goal percentage. She is following through with 69.8 percent of her free throws, as well as an increasing 37.3 three-point field goal percentage.

Meyers continues to put numbers in the stat books as she averages 4.1 rebounds per game with 90 overall, as well as 42 assists, 32 steals and nine blocks for the season so far. As Meyers boosts her statistics, her main focus is doing it all for the team.

“She’s a player that wants to be good, and she’ll do what it takes to win,” Milligan said. “She knows that the team comes first and she’s willing to do whatever it takes for the team to win.”

Meyers has the, “do-it-and-get-it-done,” type of attitude to be a role model for her teammates.

“I feel like the passion for the game is probably my strongest aspect,” Meyers said. “The fact that I make the move and I go out there and work hard every time, hopefully my teammates see that and it rubs off on them when they see the passion and they just want to work harder.”

Meyers’ favorite moment of the season thus far has been the Siena game, when Rider clinched a conference win in overtime. Not only did the Broncs show off the strength of their new program, but it was one of Meyers’ best games of her career.

“I like that game not only because I scored my career high, but because we were all together as a team every second of the game,” Meyers said.

Meyers has grown immensely as a player since her times in Willingboro and George Mason. Under Milligan, she hopes to continue her strengths while learning more each day.

“I feel like I’ve grown a lot,” Meyers said. “Coach Milligan is the best coach I’ve ever played for since I’ve been playing basketball. She’s a really good coach and I’ve learned a lot even just within the little bit of time she’s been here.”

With the help from Meyers, the Broncs have improved their record immensely compared to the previous two seasons. Meyers has contributed not only to the numbers for her team but also to the heart of Rider. After transferring a year ago, it seems Meyers is here to make her next two years worthwhile, continuing to show her force on and off the court.