It’s December in Indiana, and for a freshman from Texas who’s rarely seen snow in her life and wore shorts on Christmas last year, homesickness would be expected to reach its apex right about now.
On Tuesday afternoon, however, first-year forward Bre Wickware will get the perfect cure for any longing she may have for home when IU women’s basketball plays at North Texas in Wickware’s hometown of Denton.
In fact, Wickware said her childhood home is no more than 10 minutes from the Mean Green’s UNT Coliseum, where the Hoosiers and North Texas will play at 12:30 p.m. Eastern time in a rare weekday matinee.
Due to the irregular start time, Wickware said some of her family and friends will have to miss out on Tuesday’s game, but she still expects plenty of support in the crowd. Wickware could barely contain her excitement about going home when she talked about it.
“I’m super excited to take what we’ve been building here and get to show my family and my friends and my old coaches that Indiana’s something special,” Wickware said.
While the game itself is significant for IU, which is looking to end a three-game road losing streak, there will be plenty of off-court highlights during the trip for Wickware and the entire team.
Wickware said the team will be at her house for dinner one night, where her father will make Texas barbecue, complete with smoked chicken breast and ribs. Wickware said she’s most excited to see her dog and have her teammates meet the border collie and lab mix.
In the grand scheme of things, a quick trip home will be undoubtedly refreshing for Wickware, who, like the rest of the Hoosiers, has gone through a grueling schedule in the early going. Tuesday’s game against North Texas will be IU’s fifth road game in five different states, with the season less than a month old.
Wickware said she’s adjusted well to life both in Bloomington and on the road, noting that the many upperclassmen on the team have helped the freshmen handle the frequent travel.
IU Coach Teri Moren has noticed Wickware’s smooth transition to college as well, saying the Texan has already become great at giving the Hoosier pitch to recruits on visits.
“Bre has been the host for most of those visits, so not only is she a tremendous teammate, but she has quickly become one of our best recruiters,” Moren said. “The best thing about this place is our players. They have to be recruiters, and Bre has been terrific with the prospects and their parents when they come visit Bloomington for the first time.”
On the court, Wickware has fit in just fine, seeing action in six of IU’s first seven games. At 6-foot-1 with good athleticism, she can play on the wing and down low when Moren calls on her. Wickware has 10 points, 11 rebounds and three steals in 30 minutes of action in the young season.
Wickware said she’s never had to adjust to the constant cold and snow that Bloomington provides each winter. Wickware said she still struggles to always remember long pants and a coat, and she laughed when remembering a recent incident with Moren.
“Last week, Coach Moren kind of got onto me a little bit because I tried to leave practice with no pants on, just shorts,” Wickware said. “Coach said, ‘You have to wear pants every day, it’s cold always.’ And I said, ‘Okay, I’ll try.’”
If the Hoosiers were in Bloomington on Tuesday, Wickware would certainly be wearing a coat and pants, with a typical rainy and 40-degree December day in the forecast. But playing in her hometown at North Texas, Wickware will have nothing to worry about.
