Corina Reimer - You've got to love it

Corina Reimer

Women's Basketball
Post
Third Year
6'2"

Ask basketball players what they love about their sport, and most will tell you about scoring, shooting threes, driving the lane or making that perfect pass. A few may say it's about intense defense, and shutting the other team down. Then there's Corina Reimer:

"I love to compete and the physical aspect of basketball. I also love to rebound!!"

Yes, that's two exclamation points for emphasis- Corina Reimer loves to rebound.

"I have always really enjoyed rebounding, but lately it is something that I just love," says the second year Spartans post. "I feel like that is something in the game that I can control in a way and it gives an opportunity to jump and fight for the ball!"

Rebounding is one of the toughest things to do on a basketball court. Fighting for the ball under the basket with the other teams' biggest players is a chore that takes a special kind of player to be good at it. While the 6'2 sophomore certainly has the size to be a good rebounder, there are plenty of tall players in the Canada West. So for Corina to be ranked fourth in the conference in both total (7.6) and offensive rebounds (2.83) per game, it's about more than just height or having a "knack" for it. Yes, it's all about the love.

"I just love everything about rebounding, jumping and getting position on the other player," says the Abbotsford, B.C. native. "When the shot goes up I look for an opposing player and the ball."

It's about positioning, timing, and hard work, and Corina has certainly worked hard not only at rebounding, but on her entire game. After starting just nine games all of last season as a freshman, Corina has already started in eight of the twelve games she's played in this season, and is second on the team in minutes per game at 23.3. The tenacity and passion she puts into rebounding can be seen not only in everything she does on the court, but off of it as well. An education major, she is thankful for the teachers she has had, and wants to be a good role model for kids as they were for her.

"I have wanted to become a grade two teacher ever since I was in grade two and had Miss Swan as my teacher," Corina remembers. "I loved her and wanted to be just like her and still do."

She would also like to be a basketball coach, having gained some experience helping out at with the senior girls basketball team at MEI, and also volunteering at summer sports camps. It wasn't that long ago that she was in those kids' shoes, trying to make the big decision about what to do after high school. For her, Trinity Western was the place.

"The team at TWU when I came to visit were so welcoming and inviting," Corina says. "I had been on other visits to schools where the girls didn't seem to care about you as a person. This is a great school that focuses on developing students as people."

Corina has developed quickly right along with her team. Under first year head coach Kerby Court, the Spartans have set a school record for wins in the first semester with seven, and have done it with a total team effort.

"As Spartans we play together," Reimer says. "Being a Spartan means to me that I play for God and do everything to glorify him, not myself."

That unselfish, team-first attitude is part of the Complete Champion Approach that all Spartans teams strive for, and with the positive environment around this team, Coach Court is helping players like Corina be the best players they can be.

"Coach Kerby is an amazing coach who is very encouraging and everyone's biggest fan," Corina says. "He is very dedicated and passionate about the game and it shows. He really believes in me and it has helped me to gain more confidence on the court."

That confidence is plain to see as she continues "cleaning the glass" in gyms across Western Canada. Helping her team win, being a good role model and doing what she loves to do on a basketball court most: rebounding. You've got to love that.

Last Updated: 2008-01-13
Author: Jeff Kilpatrick
Email: Jeff.Kilpatrick@twu.ca