Steady Rise to the Top

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When the Idaho State women run sprints in practice, speedsters Andrea Lightfoot, Bianca Cheever and Devin Diehl consistently lead the pack.

But Natalie Doma doesn't lag too far behind, which wasn't the case when the senior post first stepped into Reed Gym four years ago.

''It's funny. She's forgotten now about not touching lines, not making times, having her older teammates scream, 'Come on, Nat,''' said coach Jon Newlee. ''It was continuous. I can't tell you how many times the team ran again because Nat didn't make her time as a freshman.''

The senior from Victoria, British Columbia, no longer flirts with finishing a sprint in under the allotted time, and now she's the one urging younger teammates to hurry along.

Conditioning is just one area where Doma has improved during her tenure in Pocatello, and when the Bengals close out the regular season by hosting Weber State at 2:05 today, Doma will display for the final time in her home gym the progress that allowed her to become the Big Sky's all-time leading scorer and rebounder.

After recruiting Doma out of Canada, Newlee knew she possessed talent, but she needed work.

For starters, Doma didn't really know how to box out.

Ever since she shot up to 5-foot-11 after a painful growth spurt during fifth grade, she always had been the tallest player on the court and didn't need to execute the fundamental task to snare rebounds.

At the Division I level, Doma no longer could rely only on her height.

''I had to work a lot my freshman year getting into that habit (of boxing out), and I'm still working on it now,'' she said. ''It's been a struggle for me.''

Like all freshmen, Newlee said, Doma also wasn't where she needed to be fitness-wise to play consistently.

But the Bengals didn't have much depth on the front line, so Doma played considerable minutes right away.

''She was lucky her freshman year because we were thin at the post, and she got a lot of minutes,'' Newlee said. ''If she had someone like herself playing in front of her, she wouldn't have have been getting those minutes.''

Doma started 17 of the 29 games that year for Idaho State, and she averaged 11.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 24.3 minutes a game. Those numbers earned Doma the Big Sky freshman of the year award.

Still, Newlee had no idea that first season that he had a potential superstar on his roster.

''Back then I certainly didn't. She was just another 6-3 freshman learning her way at this level,'' the coach said. ''I've had tons of 'em through the years - kids with as much ability as she brought in as a freshman. You always hope the light's going to come on, and they're going to learn what it takes to work and be successful.

''But to be as successful as she's been? I don't think anyone can project that.''

What separated Doma from the other posts who passed through Newlee's teams was her scoring touch.

''Through the years, I swear, we've looked at each other and said, 'Man, she gets more bounces,''' Newlee said. ''Balls that go in, off-balance shots that go in, shots we would consider bad shots that go in, she's had more of those than any player I've ever coached, but she's a scorer. That's what it is.''

It didn't hurt that she developed a strong work ethic the summer after her freshman year.

Doma had to stay on campus to take summer classes, and senior-to-be Chelsey Chambers made sure Doma developed her game. Chambers, who is now Chelsey Stucki, roused Doma out of bed each day and kept her working hard in the weight room and on runs.

They would also play a lot of pickup games against the guys who stayed on campus. Well, maybe play isn't exactly the right word.

''It was pretty much running up and down the court because they wouldn't pass us the ball,'' Doma said. ''We still got that conditioning.''

The effort didn't go unnoticed by Newlee.

''That's the summer that turned it for her as far as work ethic,'' he said.

Doma still had plenty to work on, though.

Opponents could take her out of her game by pushing her around down low, especially if the referees weren't blowing their whistles.

''People would shove her around and hit her, and she wouldn't get calls,'' Newlee said. ''She'd be whining and crying about it and not focusing on what she needed to do.''

As she matured throughout her sophomore year and into her junior campaign, Doma's composure steadily improved, though.

Playing in tournaments in Russia and Thailand with Canada's U21 team last summer only accelerated the process.

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