*Junior Alyssa Baro*n is just 21 points away from reaching the 1,000-point benchmark for her Penn career. She will be one of 19 women in program history to reach the milestone, including Diana Caramanico and Jewel Clark.
Credit: Andrew DierkesJunior Alyssa Baron will soon join an elite class of Penn women’s basketball players.
The two-time Ivy League scoring champion and 2010-11 Ivy League Rookie of the Year is 21 points away from becoming one of 18 women in program history to break 1,000 career points.
As a junior captain, it’s clear that Baron will keep climbing the list as she continues to improve in her final two years at Penn.
Despite the upcoming milestone, neither Baron nor coach Mike McLaughlin had realized how close she was to achieving the career benchmark.
“She means more to us than just scoring the ball,” McLaughlin said. “She plays the game the right way. She competes. She gives the ball up. She’s very unselfish. Even though she shoots the ball a little bit more than everyone else, it’s because she has the ability to create her own shots.”
“It’s a great accomplishment,” Baron said. “It’s just something that shows the hard work is paying off.”
Diana Caramanico, who graduated in 2001, currently holds the top spot with 2,415 career points.
Caramanico helped the Quakers go undefeated in the 2000-01 season, carrying them to their first Ivy League Championship. She was inducted into the Penn Athletics Hall of Fame earlier this year.
While Baron is rising on the scoring list, Caramanico’s record may be out of reach.
With 54 games left in her collegiate career, Baron would have to score 26.6 points per game to match Caramanico’s record.
Last season, Baron averaged 16.9. In her first two games this year, she has averaged 21.5.
“I think she would rather leave the program much, much better than she found it,” McLaughlin said. “That’s what I know she would rather do. [But] I guess anything is possible.”
If she continues at the pace of her first two seasons, accounting for a steady rate of improvement — she improved from 16.6 as a freshman to 16.9 as a sophomore — she will end her Quakers career with about 1,908 points, putting her in a comfortable second place on the all-time scorers list.
The 17 other women that she would surpass include a list of impressive Penn greats, including Jewel Clark and Kristen Bendel, both members of the Big 5 Hall of Fame.
Though Baron’s name will one day be forever stamped in the Quakers’ record books, she wants her legacy to be more than just the number of points she’s scored.
“[I want to] keep the program going upwards,” Baron said. “I want to be able to come back and see the great accomplishments that the next people achieve. And it’d be great to walk around the Palestra and see myself up there one day when I’m older.”
Though Baron will no doubt leave an impressive legacy, a banner hanging from the Palestra is the one thing that would make her career complete.
SEE ALSO:
Penn women’s basketball falls short of pulling off upset against Virginia
Jackie Kates leaves women’s basketball team
Women’s hoops hopes to continue upward trend
Underclassmen made crucial difference this year for women’s hoops
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.