Senior Blanche Alverson will soon graduate and just recently added a 2012 SGA Homecoming Top 5 nomination to her lengthy list of accolades.
Still, with the 2012 season soon to be underway, Alverson's main focus remains on her team.
"Blanche is the biggest leader on the team," freshman forward/center Tra'cee Tanner said. "We love her to death. She's like our team mom. We just look up to her and listen to whatever she has to say."
She began her senior season by starting all four games during the team's summer Australian Tour and averaged 17.5 points per game during the visit.
Fall practices are now underway. Now in her last season, Alverson is already looking ahead to March Madness.
"As a team we have all the expectations to just make the NCAA tournament and do better than we did last year," Alverson said. "I really have high hopes for us, and we have great energy and great team chemistry this year, which is the best team chemistry we've had since I've been here."
Last season, as a junior, she was the first Auburn women's basketball player to be named the SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year. She was also named to the Capital One Academic All-District First Team, selected to the SEC Academic Honor Roll and SEC Community Service Team for her Ballin' for Books campaign.
This year, Alverson is one of four seniors on the team, but her success and leadership qualities draw the gratitude of her teammates.
"She is a great leader," said guard Courtney Strain, a redshirt sophomore in exercise science. "She always informs us of everything. She is so intelligent. She is a great friend as well. She is always there for each one of us."
For three years, Alverson and Strain have played basketball together. While Strain was in seventh grade, she played with Alverson on a travel basketball team.
"We've worked so hard in practice and we just try to achieve every goal that we have," Tanner said. "Our goal for conditioning was to be the best conditioned team in the country and we pushed every day to try to achieve that. So we try to achieve every goal we set forth."
Tanner said this is her first year playing with Alverson, but she has known her for about three years through her sister.
The only time they have played with each other was the tournament in Australia.
The team officially began the season Monday, Oct. 1 in the Auburn Arena practice facility.
This season, Alverson will play both forward and guard.
Alverson said the team had good energy during practice and already seems hungry to compete.
"I think we have high expectations, and we are looking forward to a good year," Alverson said.
Alverson also has a new coach this year in Terri Willliams-Flournoy, and Alverson said her coach is constructively critical.
"She has fun at practice and makes us laugh, which is awesome," Alverson said. "Our practices are hard and tough, but it's fun too. We have a good time."
As for the homecoming nomination, Alverson said she was honored to be selected.
"I get to represent what I do every day, so I am just excited about it," Alverson said.
Alverson's main concern, however, is still her team. The senior hopes to pass, steal and shoot her team into the NCAA tournament.
"I just really want to be a great team leader this year," Alverson said. "Seasons are rocky. I just want to be there for my teammates all year long."
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