Shayli Florine's First Year

Shayli Florine has finished her freshman year at McKendree in Lebanon, Illinois. She had an exciting and challenging first year. As a high school athlete, she was always an in-season athlete playing three sports. So one of the big challenges was the intensity of off-season weights and conditioning at McKendree. And from the sounds of things, they "hit the ground running." And as would be expected, Shayli is not afraid of hard work!

She played behind several experienced post players. The game I got to see, when she got in the game, she was ready to go. When she wasn’t on the floor, she was active and involved in the game. Quite simply, she was a good teammate.

It will be exciting to see how she develops over the next three years.

I had a chance to ask Shayli about her first year.

Massey- What attracted you to McKendree?

Shayli- What really got me was the way I clicked with the coaching staff.  I felt like we had a lot of the same ideas about basketball and like they genuinely cared about me on and off the court.  Also, I really liked the strength and conditioning program because I knew it would be hard but it would give me the chance to really improve my game and raise my potential. Also loved the small school environment.

Massey- How nervous were you when it came time to actually go to college?

Shayli- I was very nervous.  I’m so close with all my family and friends and was definitely excited but nervous to leave everything I’d known and be in a brand-new place with brand new people.

Massey- Do you have any packing tips or room tips for people headed to college for first time?

Shayli- Don’t pack every t-shirt you own because you will wear the same 10-15 all the time.  Also, get organized from the start because if you don’t, you’ll get so busy and it will never happen.  Buy a planner, totes, look up storage hacks on pinterest, things like that.

Massey- Have you picked a major? What do you hope to use your major to do?

Shayli- I am majoring in Sport Management and minoring in Marketing.  I would love to try out coaching, but I also like the possibility of being an athletic director or marketing manager or recreation, etc.  There’s a lot of different things I can do with it.

Massey- As a student are things harder or easier than you expected? How are things different than you expected as a student?

Shayli- It’s a lot different than high school in the sense that some classes you will only have maybe seven total graded items, and you have a lot of looming deadlines that are your responsibility to remember because your professors don’t remind you every day like they did in high school.

Massey-  As soon as you got on campus in the fall, you got started with basketball. What were your fall workouts like? What kinds of things did you do, how often, how long?

Shayli- After I moved in, we had about a week of just adjusting to college life and then we hit the ground running…literally.  Monday, Wednesday and Friday we hit the weight room at 6:30am for an hour of  a variety of lifts and circuit work along with agility and injury prevention.  Then on Tuesday and Thursday mornings we would meet anywhere from the football field, the court, or a hill at 6:30 am for about an hour of conditioning.  One of our biggest conditioning tests is the 4-quarter test, which includes 6x100 yard sprints, 10x60yard sprints, 6x80 yard sprints, and 15x40 yard sprints.  Each quarter there are times we have to meet.  On top of morning workouts, 2-3 days a week we would have post/guard workouts and team shooting/open gym workouts. 

Massey- What were your greatest challenges as a player in your first year?

Shayli- My biggest challenges were dealing with a difference in playing time and handling the much faster pace of the game.  It was different for me to learn how to be an active and supportive teammate from the bench for a good deal of time, but I think it was really important for me to have that.  It taught me a new appreciation for the game and taught me to keep working so that I could be ready whenever my name was called.

Massey- How do you feel your game has improved since high school?

Shayli- I think I’ve gained a better sense of when to use a certain post move and how to use it.  Other than that, it is hard to pinpoint because there are a lot of things that we put more focus on, and the game is so much different than in high school.

Massey- After having a year playing, what are you trying to work on this summer?

Shayli- This summer I’m working a lot on the strength and conditioning aspect, as well as trying to learn to let myself  play with the flow of the game and improving my outside shot.

Massey- Have you spent most of the summer on campus? What have you been doing?

Shayli- I have spent June and July living on campus working out at the Performance center four days a week at 6am doing a combo of weights and conditioning each day, along with working at a day camp for Kids every day of the week.  I also played in a Sunday night summer league, and I make sure to get in the gym to work on my shooting and ballhandling.

Massey- Any advice you would give students headed to college?

Shayli- Get involved right off the bat and get out of your comfort zone and meet people.  Everyone is in the same boat when you get to college so don’t be afraid to be bold and introduce yourself.

Massey- Any advice you would give a high school athlete who wants to play sports in college?

Shayli- Push yourself harder now than you think you need to. College sports are a whole different ball game.  Do everything you can now to make the transition easier on yourself. 

Massey- When you come back to Galesburg, what is the one restaurant you want to make sure to hit?

Shayli- Landmark, I love the lobster bisque, the sandwiches and the crepes!