Basketball’s D’wan Shackleford Switches to Volleyball – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/16/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 16, 2003
A four-year letter winner in women’s basketball, Shackleford closes out her athletic career playing on the women’s volleyball squad.
Newark, Ohio, native D’wan Shackleford wanted to try a sport she had not played since her sophomore year in high school. She wanted a chance to play collegiate volleyball.
“It was something I had been wanting to do for a while,” Shackleford said. “I had a fifth year of eligibility and will be graduating winter quarter. I thought about it for a while. I went to see (women’s volleyball) Coach (Jim) Stone one day and told him I was interested.”
D’wan was offered a chance to join the volleyball team and has started every match this season.
“She has done a great job in more than just the obvious ways,” Stone said. “She has contributed on the court, but just the fact that she has been a four-year athlete and she has been on another team sport, she has a clue on team cohesion, competitiveness and all those things that kind of transfer from sport to sport.”
Making the switch to volleyball was not easy for Shackleford.
“There was a strangeness because I had been in a sport (basketball) that I was so used to, said Shackleford. “With volleyball, I was not too familiar with it. It was frustrating for me, but everyone told me to keep my head up and that I was learning pretty fast.”
She was learning fast enough to be tied for fifth in blocking in the Big Ten Conference with a 1.25 per game average.
“That is scary,” Shackleford said. “That is all I can say about it, it’s scary. Hopefully I can continue to improve on that. It is still early in the season. I just want to keep working and improving.
Stone sees the hard work Shackleford is doing and knows things can get better.
“We would like D’wan to become more a part of our offense and have her hit a higher percentage,” Stone said. “I think that will happen with experience and working with the new setter (Briana McCarthy).”
Shackleford has put her mind to being the best player she can be and she is having fun along the way.
“Definitely,” Shackleford said. “I like it a lot. I think I would have regretted it if I had not gone into Coach Stone’s office that day and told him I wanted to play.”
Shackleford and the women’s volleyball team will to host Minnesota at 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 17, and Iowa at 2 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 19, in St. John Arena.
