The women’s basketball program has plenty of familiar faces that will be adjusting to a new direction under coach Kellie Harper. But there is one player who is just as new as she is: freshman Marissa Kastanek.
Kastanek, who hails from Lincoln, Neb., grew up on her family’s farm and said she is still a country girl at heart. She made her first visit to North Carolina when she was in the eighth grade.
“I came to [N.C. State] when I was in eighth grade to watch my sister play in a tournament here; I thought, ‘I really like North Carolina,'” Kastanek said.
Despite being originally recruited by coach Kay Yow, who passed away while Kastanek was still in high school, she was not swayed into choosing another program over State. She said Harper assisted with her transition into the program.
“I really wanted a chance to play in the ACC as I was getting older, and when coach Yow recruited me, I just thought it was a chance of a lifetime,” Kastanek said. “I couldn’t pass it up. When coach Yow passed away and coach Kellie came in, I still wanted to go here. She came out to Nebraska to talk with me so that I can get to know her. I fell in love with coach Kellie and the rest of the coaching staff.”
Kastanek started in her first three games at State and is averaging 12.6 points per game, including a 20-point performance against Florida Atlantic Tuesday night.
“She’s worked extremely hard,” sophomore guard Emili Tasler said. “That’s one of her strengths. She’s [going to] outwork everybody.”
Despite her excellent play on the court so far, Kastanek said she still feels that everyone on the team is in the same position as she is. Due to the coaching change, every player on the team feels as though she’s starting over again.
“It’s the type of thing where everybody now is a freshman. The leaders on our team are great leaders. They know how we have to play to be in the ACC,” Kastanek said.
According to Kastanek, although coming to play in North Carolina has forced her a long way from home, the rest of the team has helped her create a new one. Senior guard Nikitta Gartrell has also embraced the family atmosphere along with Kastanek to make sure that this team will be successful.
“I feel that whether we have a new coaching change or not, we’re all a team, we’re all a family, we’re all sisters,” Gartrell said.
Although Kastanek is the only freshman on the roster she said she has already found her place on the team.
“We all just click together. Everyone is together,” Kastanek said. “We’re basically a family, which really helps me being 20 hours away from home. These girls really took me in. They’re all like my sisters. We have a lot of fun together. We don’t hold anything back. We treat each other like we’re family.”
Despite making the transition to the city of Raleigh, Tasler still believes that Kastanek will always be a farm girl.
“As a person, Marissa has been the same person as [when] she came on her visit,” Tasler said. “She’s still a farm girl. And I don’t think it’s ever [going to] leave her.”