Jan. 24, 2010

By Larry Watts
Contributor, BigTen.org

At the age when most teenagers are thinking about acquiring their learner's permits, Jaime Printy was thinking about driving the lanes in college. Printy had just finished her freshman year of basketball at Linn-Mar High School in Marion, Iowa, where she named first-team all-state, and she wanted to get the college recruiting process over almost before it got started.

"Once I started, I knew I wasn't going to go far from home because I'm such a home body," she says. "I went to Iowa State and then I went to Iowa, which was awesome. The (Iowa) program was like a big family and only a half-hour from home. I knew this is where I wanted to go, so why wait?"

In making her commitment to the Hawkeyes at the tender age of 15, Printy became the youngest player in Iowa women's basketball history to make an oral commitment. But it wasn't until she sat down with head coach Lisa Bluder that she discovered how close that connection really was.

"I can't even remember how it came up, but we just started talking about stuff and we suddenly realized not only were we both from Marion and played for Linn-Mar, but she actually grew up on the same street two houses down from me," Printy says.

Granted, by the time Printy was born, Bluder was already well on her way to her coaching career, which now enters its 26th season and includes over 500 victories. But the connection was just another reason why the 5-foot-11 Printy felt more at home at Iowa.

"Coach Bluder definitely lives up to teaching a family atmosphere," she says. "She has been nothing but supportive. She is always positive and, if there is a problem, we always feel free to go to her office. I love playing for her. There aren't many coaches who will always give you a high-five every time you come out of a game."

At Linn-Mar, Printy was a three-time first-team all-state selection, leading the Lions to a 70-9 record when she was on the court. After missing all but five games of her sophomore year (ACL injury), she came back to help guide her team to the state semifinals as both a junior and senior. Her team bowed out in her senior season with a 45-39 overtime loss to Ames and fellow Hawkeye freshman Trisha Nesbitt.

"She reminds me about that a lot," Printy laughs. "It's all a bunch of jokes. Trisha and I knew each other before and we're pretty good friends."

Printy credits much of her development in the game to her father Jeff, who was a junior college player before calling it quits with a back injury, and her brother Jordan, a redshirt sophomore guard on the Indiana State basketball team.

"Jordan and I are very close, we talk to each other every day and follow each other's games on the Internet," she says. "When I was little I always wanted to do everything he did. We were always in the backyard going one-on-one and playing 'Pig.' It's a battle sometimes, but Jordan is a much better shooter than I am.

"It's tough not seeing him as much. Hopefully I'll get to see him play whenever they come to play Northern Iowa or Drake. I really do miss him."

Despite being 5-11, Printy had always played point guard before coming to Iowa, where she now works in the two and three spots.

"I played for the Cedar Rapids Panthers when I was little and was always moved up a grade. I was usually the smallest player, so they put me at point guard," she says. "That carried on into high school."

But Printy doesn't mind making the move one bit at the college level.

"Our point guard (Kamille Wahlin) is amazing and I give her all the credit," she says. "I never really had played any other position and it felt kind of weird at first. But it's nice to not have to bring the ball up the court all time and a lot less tiring."

Having already been named freshman player of the week in the Big Ten, Printy is making an impact in the Iowa lineup, where she has started every game. She is hitting 41.9 percent of her shots from the field, pulling down 4.6 rebounds and is the team's leading scorer with a 14.5 average after 19 games.

"I didn't really expect to get this much playing time, but we've already lost a lot of people to injuries," she says. "Our only senior (Joann Hamlin) is out for the season with a blood clot and one of our two juniors (Kachine Alexander) suffered a stress fracture in her leg. It's been a little crazy around here because we're starting three freshmen and two sophomores, but we are learning so much.

"The freshman class has really been asked to step up and we're trying to work together while remaining confident. We are young and lack depth, but we can't use that as excuses for not winning. We've come a long way already and once we put it all together, we'll be good to go."

Printy is anxiously awaiting the challenge of facing some of the bigger bodies in the Big Ten, like 6-9 Allyssa DeHaan and 6-5 Amy Jaeschke of Northwestern.

"That's almost a foot taller than I am," Printy says of DeHaan. "It's going to be a real challenge because in high school I was able to get to the rim a lot. I guess I'll just have to play harder, not force things and let our post do her job."

Other than the academic load being harder, Printy says the biggest adjustments to the college level have been the speed of the game and the amount of time dedicated to weight training.

"People tell you it is so much different and you never believe them, but wow is this really different," she says. "Not only is everyone quicker, but everyone is good. I had done a little weight work before I got here, but I'm not going to lie, I was pretty sore after those first couple of sessions. My legs really hurt from all that lifting and running."

But Printy says the nicest thing about her situation is being so close to home.

"My mother works about 15 minutes from here so she can swing by and pick me up," she says. "It's always nice to go home for a home-cooked dinner and my mom can always help me with my laundry. And I always take some teammates with me so they can get some good food."