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THE DRILL: Audrey Drapeau is the floor general for the tourney-bound Lady Jays

skyler jackson, the daily globe, worthington, minn.
·4 min read

Mar. 12—WORTHINGTON — The women's basketball team at Minnesota West Community and Technical College is once again heading to the Division III national tournament.

The Lady Jays amassed a 23-7 record and captured the Region 13B championship to punch their ticket to a third straight national tournament.

One of the biggest contributions to this season's success both in performance and leadership is Audrey Drapeau, the team's sophomore point guard. She is a player that shows confidence on the court who nearly every game will make a highlight reel-level pass or two that wows the crowd.

Drapeau is used to displaying those skills on the basketball court. After all, basketball is a sport she's been playing basically since she could walk. She is from Fort Thompson, South Dakota where she went to Crow Creek Tribal School.

Some of Drapeau's first memories of the sport include playing with her twin sister Rozee, which is how her competitiveness for the sport kept her motivated from a young age. In high school, Drapeau was a starter since her freshman year as she starred as the team's point guard alongside her sister.

"Being able to accomplish and watch her grow helped me push myself to be just like her," Drapeau said of her sister. "So in the atmosphere of playing at Crow Creek, it was a lot of 'res ball', we call it and we played a lot of other reservation teams, and the type of basketball is way different than the type of basketball it is now. But it's more like a run and gun type of game and like the crazy passes that you guys see me do, that's the kind of style that we play. So that's pretty much where I come from."

After high school, she came to Minnesota West. The transition to basketball at the community college level was difficult for Drapeau at first because it was the first time she didn't play with Rozee by her side. But she said the decision to come to Minnesota West proved to be a good one because she could grow as an independent player.

Last season, Drapeau played in 30 games, played nearly 17 minutes per game and averaged 3.2 assists. She used that experience from her freshman season to help her grow into an expanded role this year.

"Last year, the time that I got, I took it in, because I knew that I had to step up one way or another this year. Just because I think that's how it always goes with the higher you get in the grades, you have more responsibility," she said. "Last year, I was just taking notes, having fun with the experience and learning as much as I can, because I knew that this year was the time I needed to apply that knowledge and help the freshmen who are coming up now, because they're going to need to step up next year..."

That learning has paid off for Drapeau as she has grown quite a bit into her role. Her numbers improved across the board as she is averaging over 30 minutes a game this year. She is also fifth among NJCAA Division III players in assists per game with 5.7.

Now, Drapeau and the rest of the Lady Jays will head off to Rochester for the NJCAA D3 tournament, where they are the No. 1 seed and whose first game will be Thursday at 2 p.m. Drapeau's full video can be found on dglobe.com, but here is a sample of our interview.

QUESTION: Who inspires you in sports?

ANSWER: "I'd have to say my mom, because she was a coach her whole life and she was a basketball player. And she taught me life skills, and she would always relate basketball to life. And I believe me growing older now, I really see what she meant all those times, relating the sport to life and the challenges that we faced and she always relates our family to a team. So I really believe my mom inspired me to be the best that I can be."

QUESTION: What are some of your favorite hobbies outside of sports?

ANSWER: "I really like to be out in nature. I'd really be talking to her like she's a person but I'd be out there in nature and going on walks. And I also love to read, like most people think that's not a fun topic, but reading really helped me with the knowledge I do have now."

QUESTION: What is something that most other people may not know about you?

ANSWER: "I will say something unique about me is how friendly I am. And most people say I'm intimidating or they don't want to talk to me because they think I look mean, but I'm like the funniest, caring person you'll ever meet, and I think that's one of the most unique things about me."