(Photo: Tyler Rittenhouse/WCSN)
Courtney Ekmark’s basketball career has been defined by much more than wins and losses. Her journey off the court to wearing the Maroon and Gold holds more weight than all of her accomplishments on it.
Ekmark had a long journey to Arizona State, helping her grow into a leader both on and off the court. Her unique journey and on-court mentality has earned her praise from head coach Charli Turner Thorne.
“Courtney is the ultimate competitor,” Turner Thorne said. “Whether she’s hitting ten threes or two threes, she’s out there. She’s talking. She’s working her tail off on both ends of the floor.”
Ekmark’s long journey to become a leader at ASU began in May 2014. Ekmark had just graduated from St. Mary’s High School in Phoenix. The Arizona native won three state championships with the Knights, becoming the Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year in the process.
Her versatile game in high school earned her the 31st ranking in ESPN’s HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings, and drew the attention of top tier programs, including Geno Auriemma’s UConn Huskies. Ekmark committed to UConn, the reigning NCAA champion and college women’s basketball’s biggest powerhouse.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing from there. Ekmark spent two seasons at UConn riding the bench on a squad flooded with future WNBA stars like Breanna Stewart and Katie Lou Samuelson. Although Ekmark won two national championships in as many seasons with the Huskies, but never recorded a single start.
After two years of playing under UConn Head Coach, Geno Auriemma, Ekmark followed her heart back home, and transfered to play under longtime head coach Charli Turner Thorne at Arizona State.
When Ekmark arrived at ASU in Fall 2016, she sat out for one full season due to NCAA transfer rules. But Ekmark made use of her time off, earning her undergraduate degree in Liberal Studies during that school year.
She was accepted into the ASU Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Within the span of a year, Ekmark transformed from a undergraduate student-athlete playing bench minutes into a full time graduate student while becoming a vital part of a Top 25 program pushing to win a National Championship.
“Off the court, it’s different,” Ekmark said on finding a balance between her courses and her playing career. “I’m a little bit busier now. On the court, just more mature. It’s really nice to be a fifth-year senior, and have a lot of experience playing… just being able to work through it.”
Ekmark’s maturity and experience has helped her balance her busy schedule on and off the basketball court. In 2017, she became a leader for a young Sun Devil squad lacking veteran leadership.
Ekmark led the Sun Devils to the second round of the NCAA tournament averaging 9.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. In her free time, Ekmark said she used her off-days to get ahead on readings, assignments and exams while also balancing her obligations with her new team.
“[It’s] a lot of hard work and discipline with time management,” Ekmark said. “I have a kind of saying, ‘too blessed to be stressed’.”
With a full season under her belt as a Sun Devil, Ekmark has found her niche with the Maroon and Gold. As the only player on ASU’s roster with a National Championship, Ekmark has taken it upon herself to vocalize concerns to her teammates on the court and support them off the court.
This season, the Sun Devils were picked to finish fifth in the Pac-12 and cracked the No. 19 spot in the Associated Press Top 25 following a narrow loss to No. 4 Baylor and victory over SEC opponent Arkansas..
Ekmark is chasing a third national championship, but under much different circumstances. As a second year graduate student, and fifth-year senior playing in her home state, Ekmark hopes her team can be playing deep into March. But despite the lofty expectations, Ekmark looks to stay level headed, and take it one day at a time.
“We don’t really talk about our end goal too much, but it’s definitely Final Four, National Championship,” Ekmark said. “What we should be focusing on is just getting better everyday… If we get better everyday, then we’ll be good when it comes time for the end of the season.”
Ekmark is in her last season of Division 1 college basketball. In Spring 2020, she will graduate from the Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law. Until then, Ekmark will provide leadership to a team that is eager to make a push in the Pac-12 and continue striving for excellence both on and off the basketball court.
