THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: Nov. 12, 2014

When an athlete goes searching for a place to play after high school graduation, often times they want to find a place that fits them, not on the court, but in the classroom as well.

For former Coeur d'Alene High basketball standout Erin Legel, more than 1,000 points later, as well countless other honors, you can say it has worked out very well at the University of Great Falls.

LEGEL, A 5-foot-7 junior guard, reached the 1,000 career point mark in the Argos' 83-71 win against Warner Pacific on Oct. 18 in Great Falls, Mont.

"It's a great accomplishment," Legel said. "A lot of it came from getting on the floor and just having fun with my teammates."

In that game, Legel scored 37 points and was later named Frontier Conference Player of the Week.

"I've been told by my coaches to look for my shot," Legel said. "I'll look to get my teammates going, and then I'll worry about myself next."

In seven games this season, Legel is averaging 22.9 points, 4.9 assists and 5.6 rebounds a game. She leads the NAIA with 23 3-pointers made and 160 total points, and is second in the nation with 34 assists.

Some of that credit goes to doing extra work in the gym.

"Erin has been a leader on campus since her arrival," fifth-year Great Falls coach Bill Himmelberg said. "She is the first one in the gym and has spent countless hours doing individual workouts with coach Jaci Heny, my assistant. She has become more consistent with her outside shot and has added a runner like Tony Parker to her arsenal of offensive moves."

"Our assistant coach (Heny) tells me that they can't guard me before every game," Legel said. "That I'm fast enough to take them off the dribble. I think a lot of my success is due to my individual work with her."

Of reaching 1,000 points, it wasn't on her mind.

"I never really thought about it," Legel said. "At the end of last season, I was told I was 30 points away. I didn't know I was so close before the game, and I completely forgot."

"It's not a real big surprise that she got to 1,000 so fast," Himmelberg said. "She came from a great high school and AAU program (Spokane Stars) that did a lot to prepare her for the college game. Both those coaches deserve a lot of credit for the player she has become. She is sound fundamentally in every aspect of the gam. Her coaches that she had growing up had a lot to do with that. Also, Erin deserves a lot of the credit for getting in the gym with coach Jaci and spending time working to perfect her skills. When you put in as much time as she has, you're bound to see great results."

IN AN exhibition game on Nov. 4 against Montana, Legel scored 30 points for the Argos in an 88-63 loss to the Grizzlies in Missoula.

"We went into the game feeling we had a strong team," Legel said. "I thought we'd have a chance to beat them, and I didn't want to lose the game, so I did everything I could to keep us in it."

Great Falls is 7-0 on the season entering a tournament this weekend in Great Falls.

She is also excelling in the classroom as well, with a 3.8 grade point average.

"I'm enjoying all my classes," said Legel, a biology major. "I wasn't a good student in high school. I've been focusing more on my biology and physical therapy classes and just try a lot harder in them."

"Erin has been a perfect fit for our program and university," Himmelberg said. "She is a great student on campus and is in a tough biology program that is preparing her for PT school. She is a leader on the floor and in the locker room. She was our top recruit that we wanted and has taken our program to new heights."

WHETHER THAT means a first trip to the NAIA tournament for Legel remains to be seen.

"We'll need 20 or more wins to have a chance," Legel said. "It's definitely our overall goal this year."

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at JEPressSports.