TAMPA, Fla. — The University of Tampa women’s basketball team (16-4, 7-2) is having another strong season ranked 24th nationally.
The team is made up of mostly juniors, seniors, and grad students. But one Spartans player will be on the team longer than the rest.
“I didn’t plan for this,” Audrey Ramsay said.
The unexpected has helped Ramsey become a savvy guard for Tampa.
“Her game is very steady, she’s consistent and she’s smart,” guard Mya Giusto said. “She outsmarts everybody, and that’s her strong suit on and off the court.”
Ramsey is averaging nearly 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists per game.
She’s classified as a junior on the court but a grad student in the classroom.
“I got the golden ticket, people say,” she said.
She red-shirted her freshman season while recovering from a torn ACL she suffered in her final game high school game.
“My first year, I didn’t play; I sat on the bench,” Ramsay said. “I learned a lot from the coaches’ perspective, what they want, what our system is. Just the experience. Every year I gain more and more knowledge. I’ve just become a smarter player because of it.”
She was then granted a sixth year of eligibility for the COVID-19 pandemic for next season.
“No one expected COVID to hit, so when COVID happened, I got another year back,” Ramsey said. “Four plus two is six, and that’s how long I am here for.”
That “golden ticket” she refers to includes four Sunshine State Conference Titles and two master’s degrees in the classroom.
“I tell people all the time that’s the best thing to happen to me,” she said. “People look at me like I’m crazy. It really helped me. I would do it again if I had to. I learned so much to get that extra year of experience. I’ll take it. I’m happy it happened.”
She’s working on a dual master’s degree in cyber security and an MBA.
“She is an incredibly hard worker at everything she does,” Giusto said. “We always say Ramsey will be successful and rich no matter what she chooses to do in life because she is that great of a worker. So dedicated to what she puts her mind to.”
