2/21/2019 5:33:00 PM | Women's Basketball, Student Athlete, Features
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On Saturday, women's basketball great Erica Prosser '11 will be recognized before Lehigh's 7:30 p.m. tipoff vs. Army West Point, as Prosser's number will be unveiled in the Stabler Arena rafters. Tickets are available for Erica Prosser Night as part of Legends Weekend Presented by Coordinated Health; click here to purchase online. We take a look back to Prosser's career and most importantly, her impact on the women's basketball program and all of Lehigh Athletics.
When Erica Prosser first stepped foot on Lehigh's campus, she immediately knew. When she was a student-athlete at Lehigh, she continued to know. Now that she has graduated, she definitely knows.
What does Prosser know, you ask?
Lehigh is home.
"With everyone I met on campus, it truly felt like home," said Prosser when asked about her initial recruiting visit. "I tell people even to this day that I just knew."
This Saturday, Prosser will be coming home for a very special reason… for the unveiling of her number in the Stabler Arena rafters.
"I took longer than Coach (Sue) Troyan would have liked to actually commit, but I did know that Lehigh was number one on my list as soon as I got to campus," said Prosser.
What a four years Prosser would spend in the Brown and White. Prosser's accomplishments speak for themselves.
Here is just a sampling…
2009 Patriot League Champions
Team accomplishments:
- Two Patriot League Tournament championships
- Three Patriot League regular season championships
- Most wins (94) for any class in program history
Individual accomplishments:
- Two-time Patriot League Player of the Year
- Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year
- Third all-time scorer in program history (1,676 points)
- Second in program history in assists (541)
- Second in program history in steals (277)
"Although Erica took some time to make her decision, it was well worth our wait," said Lehigh head coach Sue Troyan. "As much as Erica accomplished as an individual, it was her team accomplishments that set her apart as a standout player, point guard and leader. Winning as a program was much more important than any individual accolade she ever received."
Prosser's focus on team over individual was instilled at a young age.
"I was lucky to be raised in a house where my dad and brother (who both played) didn't really focus on statistics," said Erica. "We focused a lot more on the intangibles. I always say, as far as my personal accomplishments, that my Defensive Player of the Year award was my best award. I believe it was about hustle and heart and less about statistics, which is what I tried to pride myself on."
Out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Oakland Catholic, Prosser stepped right in as a freshman at Lehigh to start 24 games.
"I didn't expect to be given a spot, but I'm competitive and of course wanted to earn that starting spot," she said. "I knew I might have to bide my time, but as long as you stay ready, you work hard and prove your worth, you're going to get your opportunity. Capitalize when the opportunity comes."
Ironically enough, for Prosser, her first-career start (on Dec. 5, 2007 against LIU Brooklyn) was anything but capitalizing.
"I had back-to-back turnovers, got blocked within the first two minutes and got pulled," said Prosser. "But at that moment, I knew college basketball was a whole new level. Everyone is going to be better, stronger and quicker, so I better step up my game."
Boy did Prosser do just that, eventually leading the Mountain Hawks to back-to-back league titles in 2009 and 2010. She was named Patriot League Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2009 and senior in 2011.
Ironically enough, many members of the 2009 team will be in attendance this Saturday for a special halftime recognition on the 10-year anniversary of the championship.
"I feel like any individual accomplishment was a result of the team around me," she said. "Those championships have always been my most proud accomplishments. It's great to have one of those teams come back, get to see everybody and just reminisce, because 2009 was such a sweet year for all of us."
One of those members was Tricia Smith, who was two years older than Prosser and served as assistant coach during Prosser's final two seasons.
"A point guard is a natural floor leader," said Smith. "Erica possessed all of the crucial skills that make a point guard great: high basketball IQ, desire to win, control over the game and the ability to make her teammates better. While being a high performer and the go-to person on the court was easy for Erica, being a vocal leader pushed Erica out of her comfort zone and challenged her. Erica's dedication to become a stronger leader for the team showed her commitment to her teammates and overall success of the program."
Learning from strong senior leaders helped plant the seed for Prosser's soon-to-be budding development as a leader.
"The seniors my freshman year were incredible leaders," she said. "Claire Sullivan was such a special person in my life at Lehigh; I came in as a freshman and she was the senior point guard. There could have been friction, but Claire was such an incredible friend and mentor, supported the team first and really made me feel comfortable stepping into that role as the starting point guard so early."
Prosser grew to embrace being a leader and has Lehigh to thank for where she is post-graduation.
"At Lehigh, I learned what it means to be a leader and what it means to lead different types of people," she said. "It didn't come naturally to me, but I found out quickly that I had another level of intensity that I could bring to my training and bring to my leadership."
"We emphasize the importance of personal growth in our student-athletes' Lehigh experience," said Troyan. "Erica is a great example of a player who experienced tremendous growth through her athletic experiences; this was reflected in the impact she had as a leader and competitor. Erica's leadership development throughout her Lehigh career directly correlated with our competitive success."
The Mountain Hawks' success as a team during Prosser's time speaks for itself, as Lehigh went 55-11 over her sophomore and junior seasons, winning 83 percent of its games. During Prosser's career, Lehigh averaged 23.5 wins over her four seasons. As a sophomore, the Mountain Hawks won just two fewer games (29) than Prosser lost her entire career (31).
Prosser's overall aura, even more so than statistics, was one of the biggest catalysts for that success.
"What comes to mind for me when thinking of Erica is how much fun she was to play with," said three-year teammate Alexa Williams Guman. "She played with a lot of confidence and competitiveness that rubbed off on her teammates. She wanted the ball when it mattered and thrived in pressure moments.
"That helped us win a lot of games."
Today, Prosser is winning the game of life.
"I am so grateful that I learned how to manage different personalities, different motivations and different playing styles at Lehigh because it has really translated into my work life now," she said. "I actually work for a leadership development company now. I work with high school students, teaching them leadership skills and college and career readiness, and I always go back to learning how to lead different personalities as being the number one piece of advice.
"Not everyone is going to like you all the time," Prosser continued. "There is going to be tension when you're spending so much time with your teammates and working so hard towards a collective goal. But I believe our teams navigated the tough times really well, as you can see with two championships."
Prosser is a champion, on and off the court for many reasons, but at the root of it all is her competitiveness.
"Erica's legacy on our program was her competitive nature and her ability to use this quality to influence both ends of the floor," said Troyan. "Her greatest impact was instilling a competitive desire in our program to win. Erica's competitive impact to Lehigh basketball has been unmatched by any player in program history."
Those who know Prosser are not surprised to see her number going to the rafters, but Erica being the selfless and humble person she is, was surprised.
"With only two other jerseys ever being honored on the women's side (Sherie Androlewicz and Anne Tierney), I feel incredibly grateful," said Prosser. "I am pretty overwhelmed and still haven't been able to articulate what I've been feeling."
"Ironically, when we recruited Erica, she had asked to have number 21," said Troyan. "When I told her I would give it to her, it was with the expectation that she had to live up to the standards that 'Sherie A' had left with our program; Sherie was one of the best point guards to ever put on a Lehigh jersey. Erica certainly lived up to Sherie's legacy and continued to uphold the standards that come with wearing number 21."
Lehigh has always been "home" for Prosser and now, a reminder of Erica Prosser – the student, the athlete and the leader – will be in the rafters of Stabler Arena beginning Saturday night.
"I am really grateful for my coaches and my teammates, as well as the entire athletic department," said Prosser. "Everyone contributed in some way, so I feel like it should be a team banner up there rather than just mine."
"It's with tremendous pride that I congratulate Erica on this honor," said Androlewicz. "She was a fantastic player and student-athlete and represented the number 21 well at Lehigh. Treasure this moment with your family and friends, and take pride in what you accomplished.
