David Merrill: Do you miss the spotlight?

Kelsey Bolte: I don’t know if I miss the spotlight. I know I miss spending every day with my teammates, I miss knowing that I have practice, knowing that we have to lift weights. Just the schedule — I miss that aspect. The spotlight wasn’t anything I was going for, it was more about playing basketball with my teammates.

DM: What was going through your mind when coach Bill Fennelly pulled you out of the Marist game in the closing minutes?

KB: I knew it was probably my last game. You don’t want to lose in the first round and I don’t think, at that moment, I was even thinking about that. I was thinking I’ll never play for these coaches again, I’ll never play for my teammates again. I won’t put on a Cyclone uniform again. Coach Fennelly knew it and I’m glad I had him to help me when I came out.

DM: Was there a difference in emotions after that game as opposed to after your final home game?

KB: I think so. After my last home game, I knew we had a couple games left. I had a couple games left to compete as a Cyclone. After the NCAA game, I knew it was over, I knew my career had ended. My last game at Hilton was emotional and tough, I wish I could play there everyday, but I knew we still had more shots. I think it was definitely tougher after the NCAA game.

DM: What are your thoughts on being selected for the 3-point contest in Houston?

KB: I’m more honored to be a part of it than I am thinking about it any other way. Just to be a part of some of the great shooters that are there and getting the chance to meet them and get to know them. I’m honored just to be in the same sentence as them.

DM: What’s next? Are you wanting to go pro?

KB: I definitely don’t want my career to be over now, but if I don’t have opportunities to play, I’ll find something else to do. I definitely want to give it a shot and play for at least a little bit more. I’m willing to do whatever to keep playing.

DM: What do you want to do if your future doesn’t include basketball as a profession?

KB: Something that I love. I don’t want a job where you just sit behind a desk or you’re doing the same stuff everyday. I don’t really know what I want to do, but if I have to I’ll sit down and figure it out and look for the perfect job for me, but right now if I had to pick a dream job, I have no idea.

DM: What are you going to miss the most about being a Cyclone basketball player?

KB: Wearing the Cyclone uniform and also the relationships that I’ve made over the years. Like this year, you know everyone’s personality because you have to get to know them and know what makes them tick and do different things. I’m going to miss doing things the Cyclone way; knowing my 12-hour schedule. I’m going to get up and lift weights then go to class, then go to practice for five hours then go to bed. Then the next day I wake up and do it all over again. It’s going to be fun determining what I’m going to do, but I’m going to miss knowing exactly what I’m going to do.

DM: What is your favorite Cyclone basketball memory?

KB: That’s tough. There are so many great memories. We’ve done so much as a team and as a program. We’ve been to the Virgin Islands, we’ve been to Hawaii, we’ve been to the NCAA tournament four times since I’ve been here. It would be the Elite Eight in Berkeley or beating Green Bay to go to the Sweet 16 last year or beating Texas at Texas last year — our freshmen had great games and everyone was so proud of them. There’s tons of memories, I can’t pinpoint just one.

DM: You and coach Fennelly have had a love-hate relationship since you’ve been here. Describe the bond you have with him.

KB: I think that the person that I’ve grown to be is a reflection of what he’s taught me as a basketball player. The way he does things, the way he teaches things. I can trust him with anything and I could go to him for anything. The trust that we have with each other since him yelling at me since freshman year, I’m finally realizing why he does things the way he does. Even this year with me stepping into a leadership role, if I had any questions I’d always ask him. 

DM: What was being the being the senior leader on the team like? Did it get easier as it went along?

KB: The middle of the season is when it started to put a little pressure on me. The competition was causing us more problems, so that’s when I needed to step out and help the girls in whatever way they could. I think they would probably say I did a pretty good job, but I don’t think it got easier as the season went on. It was pretty stressful toward the end. We had been playing for a long time, so a little extra push never hurts. I wouldn’t change a thing, though. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.