Rasheed Back in Full Force at Princeton

Niveen Rasheed lived through a nightmare every athlete fears.

As one of the top women’s basketball players in the Ivy League, the Princeton forward was putting together an impressive sophomore season last winter when disaster struck on Dec. 29, 2010.

Rasheed suffered a torn ACL in Princeton’s win over Davidson and was sidelined for the remainder of the season. Many wondered if she would be back at full strength at the start of the 2011-12 season.  

However, Rasheed’s hard work and dedication has resulted in a successful return to the court.

“Coming back from an injury like that is kind of hard,” she said. “It’s definitely mentally and physically tough, but being back is one of the best feelings. I’m just going with the flow of everything and I have great teammates and coaches who support me. You don’t really miss a beat.”

Rasheed is putting up MVP numbers and shows no signs of the injury that ruined her season a year ago. She is the Tigers’ leading scorer, averaging 17.1 per game. She is also pulling down nearly nine rebounds per game and leads the team in assists.  

“Every team needs players that do everything,” Rasheed said. “I don’t really focus on scoring or rebounding a lot. I focus on what I do to help my team win. If I have no points and we win by 40, I’m just as happy if I get 25 points and we win.”

As Rasheed continues to impress this winter, she has left the memory of her injury in the rear-view mirror. She chose not to wear a knee brace at the start of the season so she could erase all memories from the night of her injury.

“I worked really hard in rehab,” Rasheed said. “I worked hard with my conditioning and getting my strength back. I knew I needed that hard work to get back to that mentality. At first it was scary to think that any different thing you do can cause injury. A lot of it is mental.”

With a healthy knee and a strong mental approach, Rasheed is hoping to lead the Tigers to a third straight Ivy League championship. The Tigers went 10-4 in non-conference play and opened up their league schedule with an 83-48 rout over Penn. Princeton may be the team to beat, but Rasheed and her teammates don’t mind having a bullseye on their backs.

“It’s a great spot to be at,” Rasheed said. “You want to be that team that everyone can make their season if they beat us. We worked hard to get to this position. We’ve been on the other side.”     

An Ivy League three-peat would also give Princeton its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Rasheed was forced to sit on the sidelines last season, but has vivid memories of her first NCAA experience as a freshman.

“It’s a big stage,” Rasheed said. “It’s something you always dream about as a kid. It’s all that you imagine it to be. Sometimes, there is the shock of playing the NCAA Tournament. Our goal this year is to treat it as another game.”

Rasheed was a standout high school player at Monte Vista High School in Danville, Calif. She was a team captain during her final two seasons and helped lead the Mustangs to a 99-18 record over a four-year period. Rasheed has several college options, but the combination of academics and basketball at Princeton turned out to be the perfect combination for the California native.

“A lot of it had to do with what the potential Princeton had basketball-wise,” said Rasheed. “I always wanted to go to school for the academics. Princeton offered that side of it. But for basketball, I knew they were building that program. It gave me a chance to be a part of the history and the growth of that program.” 

Rasheed and the Tigers will spend most winter weekends playing back-to-back games against league opponents. The Ivy League’s Friday-Saturday scheduling can be challenging, and Rasheed knows the Tigers can’t afford to let their guard down on back-to-back nights.

“Anything can happen on a given night,” Rasheed said.  “You have to be on your game every night.  Every game is like a playoff game that gets you into the tournament.”     

The Tigers are hoping to do more than just win the Ivy League this season. After getting knocked out of their opening game in the NCAA Tournament the past two years, Princeton is hoping for a different story in March.  While Rasheed and her teammates are likely dreaming of being back in the Big Dance, they remained focused as they enter the most critical part of their schedule.

“We know the potential we have,” Rasheed said.  “We have to treat each game like it’s the biggest game.  It doesn’t matter who we are playing.  One loss in the Ivy League can cost you the whole season.”

A healthy Rasheed is making the 2011-12 season another memorable one for Princeton.