The spring semester is starting and winter sports are coming to a close. Many teams are now holding their annual senior night to celebrate the senior student athletes who have dedicated their talents and time over their college years to the Big Blue athletic family. 

Women’s basketball held their senior night on February 8 at Griswold. The team cheered their only senior, Briana Anthony, like royalty in the final countdown of her last season.

Briana Anthony, sporting the number eleven, has played for Big Blue basketball since her freshman year. While studying Sociology and Criminal Justice, Anthony played for both junior varsity and varsity. 

As a freshman, Anthony was officially welcomed into the Millikin family in the athletic department as a member of the junior varsity team. 

As a sophomore, she trained to play in fifteen varsity contests and was awarded Most Valuable Player for junior varsity. 

In her third season, Anthony officially became a part of the varsity team playing in twenty-five games and averaging 8.3 points a game. 

In her final year, Anthony has continued her training with the varsity team and has played twenty-two games and counting. From 2019 to 2020, she has scored over 150 points and averages about 7.4 points per game.

In another recent game Anthony assisted in winning was against Illinois Wesleyan, on February 12th, 2020. Anthony contributed nine points and twenty-three minutes to Millikin’s victory. 

Other members of the team included Abby Ratsch, Jordan Hildebrand, Aubrey Staton, and Miranda Fox. Every member of the team listed above each scored around or over ten points to the end total of the game. At the end of the night the Big Blue won by less than five points, 75 – 71. 

I got a chance to talk with Anthony earlier this week and ask her a few questions about their education and basketball. 

Asking about their educational decisions, Anthony responded that before coming to Millikin they had never heard of Millikin. But the recruitment team had other ideas. 

The athletic department at Millikin reached out to Anthony and offered her to be recruited by the women’s basketball team. 

This sparked Anthony to research more into Millikin, and after learning about the history of Big Blue athletics and considering the distance away from their home (about three hours.) Anthony decided Millikin would be the best place to go to school. 

And after four years of school, Anthony has decided to stay near Millikin after graduating, working in the Decatur area for a bit then moving out of state somewhere where they can follow their passion. 

Basketball has always played a big part in Anthony’s life. Wanting to continue that into her college life, Anthony wanted to be a student-athlete if time would allow. 

At this time two assistant coaches from Millikin’s basketball team approached Anthony with an offer of recruitment. Sealing the deal of Anthony’s endless dedication to Millikin and the sport she loves. 

As Anthony looks ahead into the future, she fondly remembers events and games that happened throughout the years. Anthony is excited and happy to be graduating, cracking a joke about the extra sleep that will come with it. 

“I also want to be able to start being able to work doing something I love, and not just for financial purposes,” Anthony said. 

Before leaving Millikin, I asked Anthony if she has any final remarks to leave incoming and current students on campus, in which she responded: “There are a lot of great things that can happen in 2020 and the years to follow. Make every day great and regret nothing.”