Seniors Altered Record Books, Changed Culture
This Saturday, Yale women’s basketball will honor a trio
of seniors taking the court at the John J. Lee Amphitheater for the
final time: two whose statistics speak for themselves and a third
whose numbers don’t even begin to tell her story. Melissa
Colborne, Haywood Wright and team captain Ashley Carter, the
Bulldogs’ Class of 2010, joined a team coming off of a 3-24
season, and have since been a part of 43 victories donning Yale
blue, including wins over teams representing 11 different
conferences
Put simply, Melissa Colborne is one of the best offensive players
in the 37 seasons of varsity women’s basketball at Yale. She
ranks fifth all-time at Yale with 1,373 career points, having
finished second in the Ivy League in scoring in both her sophomore
and junior seasons. The 2006-07 Ivy League Rookie of the Year,
Colborne is Yale’s all-time leader in career free throws made
(471) and attempted (628), and holds single game records with 14
made free throws in a contest as well as two 12-for-12 performances
at the charity stripe. The first Canadian-born player in program
history, she is on track to finish her career with the most games
played (111) and the second-most games started (103) at Yale.
Colborne, a 2007-08 First Team All-Ivy honoree and a two-time
recipient of the team’s Most Valuable Player Award, also
ranks sixth all-time at Yale with 52 career blocked shots.
Despite having her junior season cut short by injury- an injury
that also claimed seven games from her senior year- Haywood Wright
has made her mark in the Yale record books as well. The Irvine,
Calif. native has posted a remarkable 107 blocked shots in her
career, slotting her two rejections shy of second place on the
Bulldogs’ all-time list. As a junior, Wright was on pace for
an All-Ivy caliber season, arguably even a Defensive Player of the
Year selection, before being sidelined for the final seven games.
At the time of her injury, Wright was averaging 9.5 points and 7.5
rebounds per contest and led the Ivy League with 34 blocks. She has
battled back to post 4.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in her
senior year while also swatting 20 shots in 17 games. Coach
Gobrecht’s choice for the team’s 2008-09 Most Improved
Player Award, the 6’2 forward has also established herself as
a shooting threat with 22 three-pointers made in the past three
seasons.
Ashley Carter’s name won’t appear among the
Bulldogs’ all-time statistical leaders, but her contributions
to the success of Yale women’s basketball run much deeper
than points and rebounds. Carter came to the Yale women’s
basketball team as a freshman walk-on and earned a slot in the
starting lineup for 10 games in her rookie campaign. A tenacious
defender often charged with slowing the opposing team’s
primary ball-handler, Carter’s drive and determination have
been evident on game day and in practices since day one. The
recipient of the team’s Most Improved Player Award after her
sophomore season, Carter’s rise from walk-on to 2009-10 team
captain proves that hard work and dedication have been just as
vital to the Bulldogs’ success as the numbers in the
boxscore. Carter will leave Yale among the all-time leaders in
games played with 103 career appearances to date.
