THE FRONT ROW WITH BRUCE BOURQUIN: Friday, February 12, 2016

When Renae Mokrzycki — pronounced MOK-shis-SKI — began her freshman season nearly four years ago at North Idaho College, the post player had to adjust to a new school, new team and by the way, a new country.

She moved from a small city in Cranbourne, Australia, nearly 8,740 miles away to attend school and play for the Cardinals right here in Coeur d’Alene.

Fast forward to this season and she is a 6-foot senior on the University of Idaho women’s basketball team who, after Thursday’s 70-68 overtime loss at Northern Colorado was 17-7 and 9-3 in the Big Sky Conference, a conference game behind Eastern Washington (16-8, 10-2 after Thursday’s 72-69 loss at North Dakota).

The winner of the Big Sky Conference tournament will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. If a different team than the conference tournament champion wins the regular season title, then that team would receive a bid in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament.

“Coming to an all-new country during my freshman year was definitely challenging,” Mokrzycki said. “My freshman year was hard, it was like a whole new year. I made new friends. In North Idaho, you can click and make new friends. I didn’t exactly think I would be a Division I player, but it was definitely on my mind.”

Back in Australia in 2012, in the Big V league playing a club team named the Casey Cavaliers, she led the league with 15 points and 12.6 rebounds per game. A few scouts from America helped her get scholarship offers at Division II and NAIA-level universities around the country, where Mokrzycki said she drew interest from more than 28 schools.

“They recommended I start off with a junior college,” Mokrzycki said. “They said my chances of getting into a bigger college was greater if I did that. At the time I thought it wasn’t going to happen.”

MOKRZYCKI IMPROVED in each of her second seasons at NIC and at Idaho, with a little more playing time, of course.

In her sophomore season with the Cardinals, who finished 22-10 in 2014, she averaged 15.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, was voted team MVP and and also named North Idaho College Female Athlete of the Year. She also shot 49.3 percent from the field and 32.6 percent from beyond the 3-point line.

“Her freshman year, she got off the bench and she’d play 10 to 15 minutes per game,” North Idaho College women’s coach Chris Carlson said. “When she came back for her second year, she took off and became an (NJCAA honorable mention) All-American. Her first year, a new coach, new system, new teammates, new country and new school, those things hit her so hard. When we recruited her, we noticed she was real aggressive, yet she kept it under control. Her strength and her speed was great and she moved really well.”

During her junior season with the Vandals, in which she had to get readjusted with a new coach in veteran head coach Jon Newlee and his staff, teammates, offensive sets like one-pass quick hitters and playing against players at least as good, if not better than she was, she averaged 2.5 points and grabbed two rebounds per game on a Vandals team that finished 14-15 (8-10 Big Sky). But keep in mind, she only averaged 6.1 minutes per game in 22 games played and was just learning Idaho’s systems and ways of playing.

“My role is control,” Mokrzycki said. “When I first got here, I got way too excited on the court. I got the ball and started chucking it up. I was adjusting to learn more that you are taught. In my freshman year, I was told so much, then my sophomore year I applied it. It’s been the same with D-I, there’s more stuff to learn where at times, you overthink. Then I came back the next year, you’re able to just play.”

Newlee said she had to adjust but once she did, she was fine.

“I always feel like with a junior college player, it’s always a little rough at first,” Newlee said. “In high school they’re told one thing, then at junior college they’re told another thing and here they’re told another thing. She’s made a big leap this year. Last year, she had a mental aspect to learn. She’s a lot more confident, she plays extremely hard. She’s a really fun player, she’s real positive.”

The Australian has also had to adjust while playing against opponents who tower over her.

“This year, you just bring your game,” Mokrzycki said. “If I look back to my freshman year at NIC, you see a different player. I’m definitely quicker. I was also used to being the tallest player on the court in junior college, versus here at Idaho, I’m tiny. Now there are girls that’re guarding me that are 6-6. So I guess I just attack the basket. I’m not the quickest (post) on the floor, so I had to learn to go around them if I want to make a play. I’m a hustle player, I always try to get those 50-50 balls. I’d definitely say rebounding is my greatest strength. I’m good at reading the ball capably.”

Just give Renae a shot at adjusting to her new surroundings and she’ll take off. Despite playing only 17.3 minutes per game, she is fifth in scoring (8.0 points per game), fourth in rebounding (5.2) and third in blocked shots (21).

“That was her dream, to play Division I ball,” Carlson said. “We’ve been down there to watch her play twice. She gives the Vandals a presence off the bench. Jon said, ‘Renae gets it.’ He can count on her.”

MOKRZYCKI HAS enjoyed playing for Newlee and with her teammates, three others of which are also Australians, including the person she normally subs in for, sophomore post Geraldine McCorkell, who like Mokrzycki is from the greater Melbourne area, on the western coast of Australia. McCorkell is the team’s leading scorer at 13.4 points per game. Mokrzycki was born in nearby Danedong but grew up in Cranbourne, 27 miles from Melbourne, and attended Lyndhurst Secondary College in Cranbourne, which did not offer any interscholastic sports.

“We’re not dependent on one player,” Mokrzycki said. “We have great talent on the court, we’re on a team where all of us can contribute. Coach Newlee has a ton of experience. He knows how to motivate us and put us in the best position to succeed. He emphasizes different things and sets limits and goals for us to reach. I’d never doubt him; we communicate well with each other.”

Mokrzycki said for now, after graduation the general studies major wishes to return to Australia to attempt to play for the South East Australian Basketball League, a lesser league that is part of the Women’s National Basketball League. She’d have to go back to school in order to accomplish reaching her other goal, which is to become a radiologist.

“It’s a possibility,” Mokrzycki said. “If it happens, I’ll take it, it’d be a dream. But I’m seeing how the rest of this season goes and I’m totally focused on finishing this season out. I’m looking forward to it coming to an end.”

Newlee said while recruiting her out of NIC, he liked how she’d never give up on a play.

“I liked how physical she was,” Newlee said. “She did a great job rebounding. She wasn’t taking plays off. She’s our third post player. She’s very vocal and positive, encouraging her teammates. She’s a stat filler, she had good stretches during preseason where she played extremely well.”

Mokrzycki’s first career start out of four career starts so far at Idaho came on Nov. 20, in a 106-50 rout over Cal State Northridge. She showed what she can do while playing just 13 minutes. She shot 8-for-8 from the field, finished with 17 points.

“My viewpoint is, starters versus bench players, it makes no difference,” Mokrzycki said. “You each have equal responsibilities, to help get the team motivated. You work together.”

Renae has come a long way from the shores of western Australia to helping the Vandals reach their goals. And she’s not done yet.

Bruce Bourquin is a sports writer at The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2013, via e-mail at bbourquin@cdapress.com or via Twitter @bourq25