Player profile: Elizabeth Trentham

Player profile: Elizabeth Trentham

Whitley Bras, Staff Writer

Senior, Elizabeth Trentham is finishing up her last season as a player for the North Greenville University women’s basketball team and has big plans for her future.

Elizabeth Trentham is a senior from Englewood, TN and will be receiving her undergraduate degree in health science. As a player for the women’s basketball team at NGU she has played as a center, number 5 on the court and has been an important player for crusader athletics.

During her time playing number 25 on the court for the women’s basketball team she has moved around at her position, playing shooting guard and forward, but mostly remaining in the center position in her last season. So far in the season, Trentham has played in every game and averages 17 minutes of playing time per game. She also scores on average about 2 points a game with her record high of the season being 6 points in a game, which she did for four of the games out of the 27 during the 2018-2019 season. Trentham also averages 2.7 rebounds per game, accomplishing a record high of 8 in the game against Belmont Abbey.

Coming from Tennessee, Trentham knew little about the small school in the upstate of South Carolina where she would eventually play basketball and attend college. When talking about how she decided to come to North Greenville she said, “truthfully, I had never heard of North Greenville until I was recruited to play basketball here. Being from Tennessee, Greenville was not a place I had really ever considered coming to for college. So, basketball definitely played a large role in my decision to come here. I also was attracted to the Christian atmosphere that North Greenville is so well known for.”

Attending North Greenville to receive her education as well as playing basketball for the school has allowed Trentham to make a lot of memories both on and off the court. Most of these memories are due to the team dynamic and friendships that Trentham has formed while being on the team. When talking about the team she said, “my teammates have been incredible. I have grown to love each of the girls so dearly, and hanging out with them outside of basketball is always so fun. My teammates are like my family now.”

Along with memories of the team she also had several memories of games that have been a highlight of her playing career. When talking about meaningful games in her career she said, “I have a couple of favorites. Junior year beating the number one team in the conference tournament (Limestone) to move on to the semifinals for the first time in my career at North Greenville, and beating King for the first time in my college basketball career on my senior night. Both of those games I will never forget.”

Academically Trentham will receive a bachelor’s degree in health science with an exercise science track and will earn a minor in business administration. Once she graduates from North Greenville, she plans on pursuing a master’s degree in exercise science and following that she wants to be a strength and conditioning coach at a collegiate level.

Playing sports in college can be difficult and pushes athletes to have to work extremely hard in all areas of life. Trentham realized this fact early on in her athletic career. She states, “college sports are hard. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.” Student athletes have to be able to juggle multiple different areas of their lives in order to be successful. She continues by saying, “you better be prepared for the 5 am conditioning sessions, hours upon hours of tough practices, study halls, and so many other obligations. Being a college athlete is a full-time job. You better really love the sport; otherwise, you’re going to have a tough 4 years.”

Trentham has had an incredible experience playing basketball at NGU, but not without the usual bumps in the road that most college athletes face. She states, “If there is one lesson that I have learned while being at North Greenville, it’s that you are much stronger and can handle much more than what you think. My time here, specifically within athletics, has not always been an easy ride. I can recall a number of times that I just wanted to quit and go back home, but I never did. I pushed myself further than I thought possible and came out so much stronger because of it.”

This state of mind can be helpful for all college students, whether they are athletes, music majors, have a job while in school or studying to become a professor. Since, Trentham is a senior she has experienced all of the highs and lows of playing college ball and her words of advice will be helpful for the next batch of incoming freshmen.

Trentham describes herself as being a very driven, and motivated person, but still appreciates the ability to have a good time. She said, “If I had to pick a quote or saying to describe myself it would be, ‘work hard, play harder.’”

The NGU women’s basketball team has already played their last home game and will play their last away game against Mount Olive. and begin the first round of the Conference Carolinas tournament on March 1, 2019. Other information on the NGU women’s basketball team and their schedule can be found online

Sources: Interview with Elizabeth Trentham, NGU Athletics