The University of Idaho women’s basketball team finished off last season with a push to the Big Sky Women’s Basketball Championship final and clinched a 22-9 record with the best defense in the conference. The defense was supplemented with help from senior forward Natalie Klinker as she will play in her final season as a Vandal in December.
Natalie joined the Vandals as a freshman in 2017 and has steadily improved as she enters her senior year.
“One thing that has never changed since the day she has walked in here is her energy and work ethic is off the charts,” Jon Newlee, women’s basketball head coach, said. “I’ve never had a kid work harder than she has these past four years. She leaves it all on the floor… you never have to doubt how hard Natalie Klinker will work for you.”
Klinker had the opportunity to play with her sister, UI graduate Lizzy Klinker, last season for the first time and their chemistry took off immediately as they oftentimes would lead the Vandals to a victory.
Since Lizzy graduated last spring, Natalie is left without her sister for her final season. Natalie led the team in rebounds and led the Big Sky Conference with 3.1 offensive rebounds per game as the Klinker sisters led the Vandals to a 22-9 (15-5 BSC) record.
“Liz and I were really close,” Natalie said. “It was really tough leading up to the summer, and the fact of coming back and not having her here. But one thing that has helped me through it is just how close I am with my teammates, and they’re kind of like my sisters in a sense.”
The Vandals are fairly young this season with only a few senior leaders. Natalie looks to take more of a leadership role as a captain that Lizzy and UI graduate Isabelle Hadden had last season.
“I think she’s going to take a big role on the team and already has,” Newlee said. “She came to me when everybody came back in August and said ‘Coach, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and I really want to be a leader for these young players and keep everything going here in our culture and our family atmosphere.’ I think she’s done a great job with that as she always rallies the team at practice and making sure everybody’s taken care of on and off the floor.”
Natalie and her teammates face new challenges this season as they will go through weekly COVID-19 testing, schedule changes and uncertainty throughout the season.
The Vandals schedule begins on Dec. 3 against Sacramento State and will end on March 5 against Montana on Senior Day. Differences in the schedule include playing the same team twice in a week throughout the season.
“There’s a lot of difference with getting tested weekly and three times a week when in season, but I think it will also be different playing the same team twice over a weekend,” Natalie said. “When you play somebody at the start of the season and then you play somebody at the end of the season, you’re a totally different team. Not completely, but you have changed your team so it’ll be weird playing the same team twice in a weekend but I think that it’s just going to take a lot more focus.”
Armin Mesinovic can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @arminmesinovic.