My Words: What's life without risk?

After a four-year standout career at Boston University, Katie Nelson decided to continue her basketball career by following Coach Marisa Moseley to Wisconsin. Nelson wanted a new challenge and the Badgers needed her leadership on the court. For Nelson and the Badgers, it was both what they needed. 

I’ll never forget the first time I really got pushed out of my comfort zone as an athlete. It happened four years ago when I was a sophomore point guard for the Boston University women’s basketball team.

I was coming off what I thought was a pretty good freshman season. I started every game, led the team in 3-point shooting, finished second in scoring and was named to the Patriot League all-rookie team.

I certainly didn’t like our record – we lost 13 of 18 league games and were 10-19 overall – but even though it was our fifth-straight losing season I truly believed better days were ahead.

The fact I lived most of my life 75 miles from Boston and my family – dad Brian, mom Kerri, older brother Michael and younger sister Emily – could easily come and see me play was ideal. I was happy doing what I was doing. I felt I was ready to take the next step.

Then came a coaching change. Marisa Moseley, a former BU player, took over the program in 2018 and it wasn’t long before I began to feel the size of my comfort zone shrink.

Right from the start Coach Mo told me I needed to be more of a leader on and off the court. She insisted that I become more vocal in practices and games. She demanded that I hold myself and my teammates more accountable. She really pushed to get everything out of me, not only as a player but as a person.

I think she sensed I was an introvert and she was right. That’s what made the process so challenging for me. I had to learn my leadership style and that didn’t always mean being the loudest person in the room. The more I grew the more I understood what drove each of my teammates and I could use that to motivate them on the court.

I spent the rest of my time at BU trying to make good on that to-do list that Coach Mo gave me. My all-around game steadily got better. I wound up leading the team in scoring and was named to the All-Patriot first team as a senior. I earned my degree in business and made the academic honor roll three times. Just as important, BU put together three straight winning seasons for the first time in nearly a decade.

When the pandemic hit and the NCAA ruled that student-athletes could have an extra year of eligibility, I planned to return to BU for a fifth season and get my master’s degree in the process. Little did I know my comfort zone – heck, my world – was going to get rocked again.

When Coach Mo told us she was leaving Boston to become the coach at Wisconsin, there were tears and shock from everyone, including me. I’d been so excited about the idea of playing for her and learning from her for another season. I’d come to respect her so much that I’d decided that I wanted to follow in her footsteps and become a coach. I saw how she truly cared for each one of us as young women and valued our development on and off the court. She showed me the importance of paying it forward. She had such a positive impact on me. I was really looking forward to finishing what we had started at BU.

Not long after it was announced that Coach Mo was leaving for Wisconsin, I approached her and asked if she might have a roster spot for me in Madison. I’d come to the realization that I felt comfortable at BU – maybe too much so – and I wanted to experience something different. I’d never been to Wisconsin and it seemed so far away. The idea of playing in the Big Ten Conference at a big university in a city I never thought I’d ever visit really appealed to me. I thought, “What’s life without risk?’’ I didn’t want to have any regrets. I had to go for it. I wanted to be tested. My fingers were crossed hoping she’d take me.

Thankfully, she did.

My parents were so excited and in full support of my decision to go to UW. All I ever knew about Wisconsin before now was the cheese. Now that I’m here, cheese isn’t talked about that much at all. I had no idea that a place like this was out there. The Kohl Center, the amazing campus, the beautiful lakes. There’s a ton to do. The academics – I’m currently a graduate student in educational leadership and policy analysis with a concentration in sports leadership – are second to none.

My dad came to all my BU games, home and away, but he and my mom were definitely excited that I would have another season to play with Coach Mo. They drove me to Madison last June and helped me move. Then they spent the first month of the season following the Badgers wherever we played, which, of course, I so loved.

I think one of the big reasons Coach Mo brought me with her is we have great chemistry together. After three years of playing for her, I understand her system and what she wants executed on the floor. I would be able to help the team because I was once in their shoes going through a similar experience. When she took over at BU, the team was unfamiliar with the new drills, the offensive and defensive tactics. It took a long time for us to get the drills down.

Not surprisingly, I got a ton of questions from my new teammates about Coach Mo and how she operates, whether it’s drills, practices, standards or expectations. I like to think I helped in the transition because I could ease a lot of nerves going into their first summer session with Coach Mo. I was able to confidently lead the drills that I spent the last three years trying to perfect. I knew how difficult it was to be in their shoes, not knowing what to expect. But the team embraced change and rose to the challenge.

Coach Mo is big on culture, values and consistency. That’s how she was at BU. That’s how she’s been with us since the beginning here at UW. 

When I got here, I sensed a disconnect that’s hard to describe. I could tell the team wanted more and they weren’t getting that. They wanted to be a great team. They wanted to win. But learning how to win is a process.

Coach Mo definitely had to come in and teach winning to the group. Expecting to win every day. Expecting to win every game no matter who the opponent is. I think everyone wanted to be onboard, but it’s a lot of work. She wants us to understand that we might feel like we’re giving everything, but we always have more. That’s not easy to do as a player, but we’re starting to get there and trust the process.

We’ve had growing pains this entire season and our record shows that. I think we wanted to be drawn into this new culture, this new way of life as basketball players, but it doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time to get comfortable with it and truly believe in it. It takes time to build that trust. There are changes internally that not everyone’s been able to see, but we’re pushing the glass ceiling and we’re going to break through it very soon.

Over the years, it feels like Coach Mo has been watering me, if that makes sense, getting me ready to blossom. I’ve been able to watch her take over two programs and put them on the right track. I’ve learned to have a stronger voice on and off the floor and I know what I’m capable of doing. I will always be more of an introvert, but my confidence has grown in many ways, especially in the area of leadership. I’ve built trust with my teammates. They know I have their backs on and off the floor.

Being a part of UW Athletics has been an incredible experience for me because the support of the fans is like no other. They expect you to win. They have a lot of successful programs here. Women’s hockey and volleyball. Men’s basketball and football. It’s incredible. Being surrounded by winners, that puts a little pressure on women’s basketball because we are capable of achieving so much. We just haven’t been in a situation to do so.

What is about Coach Mo that would make me want to leave home and follow her like I did? I think it comes down to her values and presence. She’s authentic, someone who lights up every room she enters. She coaches with such passion and is always the most prepared. With her, it’s always something greater than basketball. She’s preparing us for life after our playing careers end. She wants us to better ourselves as people within the community. She emphasizes that we need to have excellence in everything that we do. That’s how you build a winning mindset.

It’s taken almost a full season, but we believe that now. We don’t need to be the most skilled team or the tallest team because we’re not. But we can do all the little things and win that way. We’re holding one another accountable and ourselves accountable. That’s the biggest thing.

I was apprehensive about making the jump from the Patriot League to the Big Ten, but I knew Coach Mo wouldn’t have brought me in if she didn’t think I was capable of handling it and having success on the floor. All in all, our opponents have been quicker and a bit stronger, but I’ve settled in and become more comfortable. I think I’ve held my own.

Wisconsin hasn’t had a winning season since 2010-11 and hasn’t qualified for the NCAA tournament since 2009-10, but I think all that’s about to change. I would tell recruits to have patience, to be patient with the process. I think you can look at Coach Mo’s background and experience and see that she’s more than capable of bringing success to this program, just like she did at BU. I know what it took there. We’re on the right track here.

Coach Mo is funny, but she’s also intense and competitive. You have to earn everything. So if you want to be on a team that’s competitive and you have an inner drive and you want to win in a team way, this is a good place to be. She’s going to push you to be the best basketball player and person you can be. At the end of four years, the program’s going to be better than you found it and you’re going to be in a better place than when you first came here.

It’s just a matter of time for all the hard work to come to fruition. I’m really excited to see what this program is going to achieve very, very soon.

We’re not done yet. The Big Ten tournament is on deck and we believe in ourselves. We’ve been pushed outside our comfort zone and learned how to adapt. We’re going to finish strong.