Culbertson displays courage

MUNCIE, Ind. – Heart: n., courage or emotion.
I used to think I knew what it meant to play with emotion, to give it all you’ve got and then some, to play with heart.
Boy, was I wrong.
The performance displayed by the CMU women’s basketball team in Monday night’s 95-81 defeat to Ball State was one for the ages and no one better exemplified that than senior Jodi Culbertson.
Culbertson followed up her CMU record nine three-pointer, 32 point performance in the season finale against the Cardinals with 13 points and three trifectas, all in the second half.
She leaves Mount Pleasant as one of the most prolific three-pointer shooters in school history, ranking second all-time with 112 career makes and ranking number one all-time with 77 this season and nine in a single game.
But the mere fact that Culbertson even played in the second half may have been her most outstanding accomplishment.
With just under nine minutes to go in the first half, Culbertson was diving for a loose ball and collided with teammate Desiree Eidson’s head.
As Culbertson sat up, the injury was already visible and the groan from the crowd was tinged with sympathy.
Head Coach Fran Voll commented after the game that Culbertson looked as though she’d just fought Sonny Liston.
The guard needed three stitches to close the gash underneath her right eye but the massive swelling was still evident long after the game.
You’ve heard of people who wear their hearts on their sleeve, Monday night Culbertson wore hers on her face as she returned to the lineup and helped bring the Chips, who trailed by as many as 18 in the second half, to within seven points at 79-72 with 3:49 to play.
“Jodi was the star of stars tonight for us,” Voll said.
Culbertson was the first player Voll recruited to CMU when he took the job four years ago and the pride he felt for her and her career was clearly evident.
“I’m not sure I’ve coached a better kid.”
In the past week I’ve seen a pair of outstanding individual performances in collegiate basketball games, David Webber’s 51 points last Thursday, and Culbertson’s emotion-filled 13 point performance on Monday.
Strange, but a few weeks ago I could tell you that a 51 point outing easily beats a 13 point one anyday.
But after seeing both firsthand, I’m not sure which one was better.