Rachel Michalek has found a unique form of team bonding

By Andy Gray

It was a long, boring bus ride through upstate New York and Rachel Michalek, a junior point guard on Siena College women's basketball team, needed to kill time. While her teammates read magazines and caught up on their schoolwork, Michalek discovered a different way to keep busy: she began to knit.

Rachel Michalek has been instrumental to the Saints, both on and off the court. Photo Courtesy of Siena Athletic Department

Within minutes, Emily Clark, a senior center from Australia who was sitting behind Michalek, asked what she was doing with those long needles and yarn. Soon, a Knitting 101 Seminar broke out with Michalek as the professor. The hobby spread quickly throughout the team and the Saints suddenly were a double-threat, a team that would beat you on the court and make you a sweater for your ride home.

Michalek, a Buffalo native, attended high school at the all-girls Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart, where she lettered in basketball, swimming and softball. When it came to choosing a college, she struggled. She wanted desperately to play Division 1 basketball, but didn't have any scholarship offers and was considering trying to walk on at St. Bonaventure or Niagara.

With a decision looming, Michalek visited Siena and met with coach Gina Castelli, who convinced her that if she was planning on trying out for a basketball team as a walk-on, it might as well be at Siena. Michalek agreed and started her studies several months later.

Though she played sparingly her freshman year, Michalek's work ethic and high basketball IQ earned her a high marks from the coaching staff. She was caught off-guard, however, when Castelli called her into her office before Thanksgiving of her sophomore year and informed her that she had earned a scholarship.

"I just started crying because I was so happy," Michalek recalls. "And then I called my mom and she started crying. It was a big day."

After receiving the scholarship, Michalek returned home for winter break. During one especially boring day, her mom taught her the fine art of knitting and Rachel was, well, hooked. She spent the rest of the break knitting scarves for the team and upon returning to school, taught her curious teammates how to do the same. Bus rides soon began to resemble a winter evening at the nursing home as the team feverishly knitted away.

"It's not the toughest thing to be doing on a bus trip," admits Andrea Woodbury, the team's associate head coach. "But they convinced us it was a relaxation and team bonding thing. Plus, she made me a scarf for winter last year, which comes in handy when you live up here."

Michalek's playing time is limited (only four minutes per game), but she has earned the praise of her coaches for her perseverance and positive attitude. "She's a hard worker out there," says Woodbury. "Even when she's not playing, she's always involved. She provides a lot of good energy for the team."

Michalek's best basketball memory occurred earlier this season, when nationally-ranked Maryland visited the Siena. The game drew more than 3,700 fans (compared to the 1,000 who usually show up at the Alumni Recreation Center), more than any game against a MAAC opponent this season. Though the Saints lost, 107-66, it was still one of the most exciting games of the season for the small school.

Off the court, Michalek is the team's lone representative at the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), which provides community service and other programs. During Christmas break, the team sponsored and bought presents for two "adopted" families, visited the Ronald McDonald House, and spoke at several local elementary schools about being a student-athlete. "It was a busy break," Michalek says with a chuckle.

When not playing basketball or knitting, Michalek is most likely found near water. Her father, Mark, is the commander of the Buffalo Underwater Recovery Unit and her family lives near the Niagara River and Lake Erie, which makes it easy for Michalek to enjoy her other favorite activities: waterskiing, jet skiing and scuba diving.

Michalek's main focus is on helping the 7-10 Saints improve and snap out of their slump (six losses in their last seven games). "This season's a little rocky right now," she admits. "But we still have a lot of league games left and the MAAC Tournament. We're not out of it yet."

They'll get by. Thanks to Michalek, Siena is a tightly-knit bunch.