DES MOINES, Iowa – Maybe it was an accident that senior Lizzy Wendell even picked up a basketball more than 10 years ago.  The Wendell household was never one destined for relaxation while her parents, Mike and Gina, kept up with the busy schedules of their nine kids. For the Blue Springs, Mo. native, this often times meant being dragged to her older sister's basketball practices where her dad was the coach. Perhaps these moments were what sparked Wendell's love affair – not to mention her success in a Drake uniform – for the game of basketball.
 
There was no turning back after Mike let Lizzy join her sister's team, despite being the youngest player by close to two years. Looking back, it was Mike who first opened the door to his daughter's prolific career, and as she enters her senior season, remains her biggest fan today. It's a blessing and a curse, however, for a player whose stubbornness can get the best of her. When Mike steps in with his postgame analysis, it isn't always easy for her to listen. But all things considered – she gets it.
 
"He just wants me to be the best I can be," Wendell said.
 
And one of the best Wendell has certainly become. Her stubborn side has helped garner nearly every accolade imaginable, although she will be the last one to mention it. She was the 2014 Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year, a three-time All-MVC First Team selection, a nine-time MVC Player of the Week award winner and the list goes on.
 
She's made the NCAA "Starting Five" that recognizes the best weekly performances in women's college hoops. Wendell even had an ESPN.com article written by Mechelle Voepel about her. In her first season, Wendell was the MVC Newcomer of the Week on eight separate occasions. Surprisingly enough, Wendell's ability to shoot the ball, pick apart defenses and make her teammates better is just scraping the surface of the type of player and person she is.
 
"I want to leave a winning legacy behind," Wendell said. "A legacy where our culture is one built around unity and a team that meshes well. I want people on the outside to see that we do things differently here at Drake. We win, but we have fun doing it."
 
One might argue that Wendell's 1,859 career points – landing her in the No. 7 all-time scoring spot in Drake history and No. 13 spot in MVC history – is how a winning legacy is defined or that scoring 10 or more points in 77 consecutive games dating back to her freshman campaign is more indicative of a winning legacy. But Wendell would beg to differ; the facts, the figures and the accolades are the furthest thing from her mind.
 
Wendell is the leader, the go-to player, the one expected to step up when the team needs it most and the one most often in the spotlight. The average 22-year-old would probably fold under this type of pressure – not Wendell. .
Have there been times of doubt, frustration and questioning whether or not she's meant for the demands of Division I basketball? Absolutely. But even through moments of weakness, Wendell falls back to her roots and what got her here.
 
"The attention can be hard and distracting," Wendell added. "There are times I have to take a step back and refocus, but I try not to really think about it. At the end of the day, I'm here because I love playing basketball, not because of the awards."
 
Her love for the game undoubtedly takes shape in her ability to score the ball. As if the long list of honors previously referenced isn't already impressive, Wendell has led the MVC in both individual scoring average and helped her team have the MVC's top scoring average the last two seasons, and the team average of 79.6 in 2015-16 ranked ninth in the nation. In addition, During the past two seasons, Wendell has been among the MVC leaders in scoring, assists, steals, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and three-point percentage – posting these high efficiency numbers while recording the fewest average minutes per game among the leaders.
 
For someone who was recruited by only small Division I programs and a handful of other Valley foes, Wendell has exceeded expectations in a short three-year span. Head Coach Jennie Baranczyk may disagree, however. She saw something in Wendell that few other coaches did – and did something that no other coach could do – that is, sell a vision and get Wendell to commit to Drake. After just one visit to campus, Baranczyk had both Wendell and her mom believing in a promising future.
 
"To be the start of someone's vision was really appealing to me," Wendell reflected. "I knew right away that Jennie's coaching style would allow me to be at my best. But with that, she is genuine and knows how to make people feel comfortable. I think all of that, and being at a school where my family could watch me play, is what really sold me."
 
Wendell herself never truly believed or even considered competing at the college level until she reached high school. But even so, one ounce of belief was all it took. Her career thus far is a storied one; one that started with a "yes" as a senior in high school and ends with expectations of an NCAA Tournament berth in her final season as a Bulldog.  As Baranczyk's very first commit at Drake after taking over in April, 2013, Wendell has played a large role in launching an era of Drake women's basketball where other players of her caliber are also buying in.
 
 
Drake has been home of the MVC Freshman of the Year for three straight years now. Drake consistently has players named to all-conference teams. Drake has gone 60-36 in her first three seasons – the Bulldogs won only 49 games in the three previous seasons without her.  Much in part to Wendell's continued prowess on the court, Drake also recorded back-to-back 20-win seasons in her sophomore and junior seasons for the first time since 2000-01 and 2001-02.
 
Wendell alone averaged 16.8 points per game as a rookie, 21.8 points as a sophomore and 19.6 points as a junior. These numbers add up to a career average of 19.4 points per game, which ranks fourth all-time in Drake program history, seventh all-time in MVC history and is sixth in the country among all active Division I players. Seriously, though, how does she do it?
 
She does it with humility and a team-first mentality. Her relentless pursuit of wanting to be better than she was the year before – merely to make the team better – is evident if you look at her stat line and the success of Drake women's basketball over the last three years. What does not necessarily show up in tangible form is how she stays motivated and what she does to stay on top of her game.
 
"When tip-off happens, I pretty much just go for it," Wendell said. "Our fans and the atmosphere they bring on game day definitely motivate me. I just want to play well for the coaches, for my family and for all the people who show so much love and support for this program."
 
Where would Lizzy Wendell be if her dad never dragged her to practice in third grade? Mike Wendell can be credited for first placing a ball in her hands, for instilling a level of curiosity in her and teaching the mechanics of how to shoot as a young and spry nine-year-old. A combination of talent and hard work, in tandem with Wendell's unwavering commitment to the people around her, make a strong case for becoming the 15^th All-American in program history, and the first since 2012.
 
Since those initial days in the gym with her dad and sister, Wendell has taken fate into her own hands and left a lasting impression on Drake women's basketball. Maybe, just maybe, she happened to be in the right place at the right time more than 10 years ago. But the places basketball has taken Wendell thus far, the numbers she has posted as a Bulldog in three years time and the impact she's made on others along the way? That is certainly no accident. 

By: Carly Grenfell, Special to www.GoDrakeBulldogs.com