1. BEYOND
THE BARN
Celebrating Golden Gopher
Women’s Basketball
January 2014Golden Gopher Women’s Basketball
516 15th Avenue SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
(612) 624-3563
gophersports.com
excelling on and off the court
big ten conference
February 9 // Minnesota vs. Illinois
2:00 pm Tip-Off
Box Out Breast Cancer Game
Minnesota Girls and Women in Sports Day
Bring a Friend to the Barn BOGO
February 20 // Minnesota vs. Purdue
7:00 pm Tip-Off
University of Minnesota Student Night
Maple Grove Community Night (Mikayla Bailey)
February 27// Minnesota vs. Indiana
TBD
Gopher Fan Appreciation Night
Lakeville Community Night (Rachel Banham)
upcoming events
Photos courtesy of Sarah Turcotte, Jess Lemanski, & Brittany Henry. Articles contributed by Sarah Turcotte, Brittany Barber and McNamara.
radio show
The Pam Borton Radio Show has returned this
season.The live shows will take place Monday’s at
7:30 pm at Applebee’s on the U of M Campus; all
fans are welcome! The show features Coach Pam
Borton and a different player each week. If you are
unable to join us in person for the live taping, tune
in on ESPN 1500.
fast break club events
The Fast Break Club hosts or helps coordinate
several events throughout the year.These events
are a great opportunity to interact with the
players and coaches and to visit with other
members. Please check out their website for
more details:
www.fastbreakclub.net
Each month, the McNamara Academic
Center for Student-Athletes (MAC)
will recognize one male and one female
University of Minnesota student-athlete for
their academic achievements.The winners
are determined by a number of factors
evaluated on a monthly basis. Including, but
not limited to outstanding test/exam results,
GPA improvements, superior modeling in
study habits and skills, academic praise from
instructors, and overall grade reports for a
given semester.
Amanda Zahui B. is a redshirt freshman
on the Women’s Basketball team and the
Female Student-Athlete of the
Month. Amanda came to the University
of Minnesota last spring from Sweden and
began her transition to a new culture and
academic life. She has made an immediate
impact on the Women’s Basketball team this
season, being named Big Ten Player and
Freshman of the Week three times.
Her performance in the classroom has been
equally impressive.“Amanda has a very
strong work ethic and performed extremely
well academically this semester,” commented
Academic Counselor Alissa Allen.
“She consistently seeks out the assistance
she needs, and her tutors have repeatedly
commented on the strides made in her
academics and her high motivation to
succeed. She always knows what needs to
be done and consistently works ahead. I am
very impressed with everything that Amanda
has accomplished in her time here.”
When asked about the transition,Amanda
said “The hard part is the amount of work
we have to get done in a short amount of
time, but we get help from great tutors so
everything is going really well.”
Academic Counselor Alissa Allen joked
about the fact that Amanda has turned the
conference room into her own personal
office, also mentioning Amanda’s role in
emphasizing the importance of good grades
to her fellow teammates.
Head Women’s Basketball Coach, Pam
Borton, was excited for Amanda’s honor.
“Amanda excels in all aspects of her
life! She is committed to hard work and
excellence. She has set very high goals for
herself, and there is no doubt her dreams
will become a reality. Her greatest gift is
that she makes everyone better around her
because of her positive energy and spirit.”
Amanda wasn’t alone in her academic
efforts this semester-Gopher Women’s
basketball finished their Fall semester with a
cumulative GPA of 3.232.
Amanda Zahui B.
C | 6-5 | Rfr | Stockholm, Sweden
Student Athlete of the Month

2. Gophers give alumni warm
welcome back
Where are they now?
Having lived in various cities across
the country you are back in St. Paul,
Minnesota (and by choice), Can you speak
to that?
As a young woman, I had a serious case of wanderlust. I loved
to travel and explore new places, and still do. I also had a
very supportive family - the kind that enjoys dinners together,
caroling and road trips. I still have that too. So now, as a
career woman and mother, my solution to wanderlust and
love of family was to live in St. Paul near my favorite people in
the world, and pop outta town for shoots as needed with the
comfort of knowing the kiddo is in a loving, safe place while
I’m away. Nothing in the world can compare to the love and
support we share as a family - not 360 days of sunshine and a
daily hike (aahhh... Colorado) or the Met and Central Park at
your fingertips (gotta love NYC). Family comes first.
We know there are lots, got a favorite
Gopher basketball memory?
I spent only one year on the team before moving on to
pursue my passion for music, but a lot of memories were
made in a short time. Most aren’t fit for print, but what has
always stuck with me is the bond formed between teammates.
It’s unlike anything I’d experienced prior to college athletics
and I’ve yet to experience since.There is a unique sisterhood
created between a group of young adults sharing in the
extreme pressures for success in academics and athletics, and
all the emotions that go along with persevering in a high-
stress environment alongside like-minded women. I didn’t
expect the impact of being a part of a team to be as lasting
as it has been, but I am grateful for the timelessness of having
been a Gopher.
With sky being the limit, what’s next for
Kat Higgins?
Minnesota Opera. I’ve got a lot of work to do before scoring
the role of Carmen, and I’ll get there.
We chatted about how being a student-
athlete laid a foundation for who you are
today, can you tell us about that?
I have been an athlete since a very young age beginning with
competitive basketball in second grade, adding soccer, track and
swimming to my training in middle school. Through the years, my
main focus outside of school was sports - and success in the two
areas is not mutually exclusive. If you work hard in school you
are afforded the opportunities to play hard; if you don’t get your
work done you won’t be playing anything. So balancing work and
play wasn’t negotiable, it was required. I am incredibly grateful for
the opportunity to develop as a young woman having to manage
my time and responsibilities so diligently because, though it was
difficult and not always “fun”, the good habits and healthy lifestyle
that result from a strong commitment to higher achievement is
unquestionably worth the effort.
Student-athlete turned Executive
Producer, tell us about your journey.
It’s not by accident that an athlete plays at the Big Ten level-
it takes hard work, tireless commitment, and a lot of sacrifice.
Those attributes transfer directly to the “real world” outside of
college, and in particular to my success as a television producer
where I really found my niche and experienced some of the
biggest adversity as well as greatest successes thus far. Nearly
all of my triumphs were born out of mistakes or unexpected
hardship. But how you react to the challenges you’re faced with
is the critical step - in my case, the challenges have been my fuel.
The adversity has been the kick in the pants I needed to focus
better and work harder. From college athlete to radio personality,
singing alongside Prince to the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra,
sudden single motherhood to newfound success in triathlons
and overseeing Emmy Award-winning productions. There’s one
little four letter word that has been the key to all of my greatest
accomplishments:WORK. I have yet to experience success in life
without a whole lot of hard work (and a little luck).
You are unique in that you have competed
at high levels in multiple sports, the
arts as a singer and now as an Executive
Producer of a Primetime Emmy Nominated
television series (Diners, Drive-Ins and
Dives) as well as the Executive Producer
of a Daytime Emmy Award Winning special
program (Guy’s Family Reunion). What is
your biggest motivator?
Fear.
Coach’s Corner
Check out this play right out of the Gopher’s 2013-2014 Playbook! This inbound play was originally taken from the Boston Celtics and is
an excellent choice for quick points on the board.
pass
dribble
movement
Coach’s Corner
History and tradition have long been a large part of the
foundation of the Minnesota women’s basketball program,
and Sunday’s game against Northwestern served as a warm
“Welcome Back!” to the former Gophers that paved the way
for the players that reap the benefits of their hard work and
sacrifices today.
Over 50 former Gophers and their families made their way to
Williams Arena Sunday to watch Minnesota handily defeat the
Wildcats, 94-59, behind a complete team effort on both ends
of the floor. But, prior to taking in all of the action on the
court, the alumni were able to reminisce and mingle with each
other, head coach Pam Borton and the Gopher coaching staff
at a pregame reception in the Williams Arena Club Room.
At halftime, each of the former Gophers headed onto the
raised floor to be recognized by their loyal fans.The fans that
still remember each moment of their playing careers. It was a
treat for the Gopher faithful to see how their favorite players
have blossomed in their lives since their time at Minnesota
and to see their growing families.
Those same fans had the opportunity to recognize and
celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Minnesota’s magical run to
2004 NCAA Final Four and the players that made up that
remarkable team in the second half. Each member of the
Final Four squad received a commemorative plaque and
were able to watch a special highlight reel of their journey
to New Orleans.
front row (l-r): shannon schonrock, lori dimitroff, brian frye
(director of operations), april calhoun
back row (l-r): michael fischer (video coordinator), moira
novak (director of athletic medicine), hannah garry, jamie
broback, leslie hill, shannon bolden, chris norman (manager)
Members of the 2004 Final Four team
at Alumni Day
Emmy Award Winner, Kat Higgins
From hoops to the red carpet, catch up with our own inspiring, multi-talented Kat Higgins, the
Executive Producer of Food Network programming for Citizen Pictures in Denver.
Check out this play right out of the Gopher’s 2013-2014 Playbook! ‘Double High’ is an inbound play that was
originally taken from the Boston Celtics and is an excellent choice for quick points on the board.