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Immediate Gael Impact!

Freshman Corrie Mizusawa brings veteran leadership to St. Mary’s

By Ethen Lieser

The stat line read like this: 13 points, 11 assist. Sure, it’s a double-double, a commonplace among college basketball boxscores. But St. Mary’s point guard Corrie Mizusawa posted those numbers against a perennial juggernaut, the unruly Sherman tank of women’s college basketball — the Tennessee Lady Volunteers. Although St. Mary’s fell short in this NCAA tournament second round matchup, Mizusawa did make the Vols’ stalwart head coach Pat Summit check her deodorant. Maybe even twice. She might have checked three times when she found out Mizusawa was a freshman.

“It is difficult to predict how a freshman will do, especially at the point guard spot, because it is such a high-pressure position,” said first-year Gaels coach Michelle Jacoby. “But we knew when she came in, she would get playing time because we didn’t have a point guard. So, she was able to get experience right away, and she did very, very well.”

The 5-foot-8 ball wizard was slippery as a runaway ferret all season, leading the Gaels to a 26-6 record and to their first NCAA tournament win ever, beating Texas, 68-64. But one might wonder why Mizusawa took her talents to a relatively low-profile basketball school with a measly enrollment of just 4,300 students. After all, Washington and U.C. Irvine were knocking on her door.

“I really liked the coach and I thought she could help me tremendously with my basketball game,” said the former Acalanes (Lafayette) H.S. standout. “It was also an ideal location for me because I live about 15 minutes away from here.”

So Mizusawa, a sports management major, passed on the ritzy glamour of big-time schools. But that is not surprising when her game is analyzed — which is purely unselfish. Like the big-time schools, she also passed on the go-to-girl role. Mizusawa passes first, shoots second, adhering to the point guard golden rule.

“I think my strength is passing,” she said. “That is something I love to do the best. A spectacular pass can get my team involved in the game.”

Passing? This is definitely not freshman talk. But then again, Mizusawa doesn’t play like a freshman, either. She is a leader, a veteran leader who belies her age. During crunch time last season, she poured in double-digit points in five out of the last eight games, including a season-high 20-point performance against Santa Clara. Mizusawa also dished out a team-high 5.1 assists per game.

çut statistics are only a prelude to Mizusawa’s ever-improving game. She brings aggressiveness, fire, desire. “As a person and on the basketball court, she is very competitive,” Jacoby said. “She just has a strong spirit to win.”

That spirit is constantly under the microscope. Mizusawa, a sansei Japanese American, does stand out from the crowd. Even more so on the basketball court.

“I think I’m more noticeable because I don’t look like everybody else on the floor,” Mizusawa said. “To be one of the only female Asian American basketball players in the nation is something I take seriously. It’s an honor to know that I am good enough to play at the Division I level.”

And so far, few have disagreed.

“Corrie has done some unbelievable things, and has opened eyes all across the nation,” Jacoby said. “When anybody plays us, they always recognize Corrie Mizusawa and always leave as a fan of hers. We have a lot of talented players on our team, but Corrie stands out the most. And as a freshman, that is very hard to do.”