Her scoring abilities are unquestionable, but it’s not Lyndsey Medders’ point total that makes her the leader on the court.

Medders’ presence has been a factor in the ISU women’s basketball program for three years, and no season has been more important to her leadership role than this year. The team, taking a hard nosedive after having a team that lost only seven games last season, saw a light at the end of the tunnel with Medders handling the ball.

“The last game when we lost in Fresno in the NCAA tournament, I really felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders,” Medders said.

“But I would rather have that feeling than not feel like I was part of something. I will take as much responsibility for the wins just as I will the losses.”

That attitude has helped carry the burgeoning Cyclones through their transition season with panache, averaging 17.1 points per game and leading the nation with 8.3 assists per contest.

“Basically, she runs our team,” said ISU coach Bill Fennelly.

“She’s the vocal leader, the on-court leader, and she’s handled the situations that we’ve presented to her.

“I’m very hard on her and expect a lot of her, but she expects a lot of herself.”

That mentality was never more evident than the Cyclones three-game skid without Medders, who was confined to the bench with a sprained foot. Positions were rotated, scoring responsibilities were dispersed and Iowa State had to compensate without the tenacity of it’s go-to player.

Medders, itching to be on the court, instead played her role from the bench by calling the offensive plays for Iowa State.

She said that although her injury can still be a nagging reminder, she won’t let it be an aspect in her game.

“She’s so good at what she does, and I can’t think of any team in the nation that was impacted harder by the loss of one player,” Fennelly said.

“The No. 1 thing to be a leader is the kids have to look you in the eye and trust you. This team trusts her explicitly, and they’re looking at her on the bench.”

That determination has led Medders to the best season of her career, a season that Fennelly says shouldn’t go unnoticed. She has improved every aspect of her game since last season, upping her point average from 7.1 and her assists from 6.0.

“She’s had an all-conference season, and to her credit she’s gotten better every year,” Fennelly said.

Medders has also taken a step from her predecessors’ books by becoming a voice and example for the younger Cyclone players. She said the wing she was taken under by former player Anne O’Neil is one that she wants to give to others.

Freshman guard Heather Ezell said Medders has been in her ears since the first days of practice.

Ezell, who was put into the point guard position after Medders’ injury, said the short time she was given to adjust to the role was made easier by advice from the junior.

“She said that it doesn’t matter if you’re a freshman and you have seniors on the floor, you’re the point guard and don’t be afraid, they’re not going to listen to you,” she said.

“She’ll still do whatever she has to do to help the team win, and I think that that’s her mentality.

“She’s going to do whatever it takes, and do it to the best of her ability.”

Medders said she gladly holds much of the team’s responsibility in her hands, and she wants to be the kind of leader who her teammates can trust and rely on.

“I think they kind of look to me when they need to, that’s the kind of position I want to be in,” she said.

“There’s a mutual trust and respect in that regard, and I hope they continue to look for me because I’ll be here next year.”

Fennelly said Medders is the type of player who can go down in ISU history as one of the great athletes, and he said her name could be mentioned along the likes of O’Neil by the end of her career.

“She’s done a lot of things for this program,” he said.

“She’s passionate about the game and she wants to win so badly. I’ve had some very good leaders here, and there’s none any better.”