Finding a New Home Nicole Seekamp has found a new home. Albeit, 20 hours away from her native Australia. It’s been four and a half years since Seekamp made the move to the United States and to the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, and if you were to ask her about the transition, you’d hear nothing but positives about the move. “This is probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” she said during an interview one January afternoon at the DakotaDome. Basketball has always enabled the 23-year-old senior standout for the Coyote women’s basketball team to travel around her home country, around the world and since she arrived at USD, around the United States. The idea of being that far from family – parents and two brothers – is no longer an issue, considering she moved away from home at the age of 14 and was in the United States two years after graduating from high school. Time has certainly helped, according to Seekamp. “I’m a family oriented person, but I’ve gotten used to it by now,” said Seekamp, who prior to this season has led the USD women’s basketball team to three consecutive Summit League championship games (including a title in 2014). “I don’t cry myself to sleep or anything like that,” she added, smiling. Born in Renmark, South Australia (a town of fewer than 18vHERVOICEvMARCH/APRIL 2016 1,000 residents), Seekamp frequently made the 3-hour drive to Adelaide to play basketball over the weekends when she was in eighth and ninth grade. Not only did the travel take its toll, it got to be rather expensive, so her parents – Frosty and Charmaine – decided to move Seekamp in with her aunt and uncle in Adelaide. Seekamp attended Brighton Secondary School in Adelaide, but at a young age, was thrown into a position of adjustment. “They still came up to visit a lot of weekends, but that was a hard adjustment because it was my first time, really, away from family,” Seekamp said. By the time she graduated from high school in December 2009, Seekamp had already played in a number of national basketball events, among them: U18 Australia Championships, the Australia Youth Olympic Festival and the FIBA Oceania Tournament. It was right around that time that a young assistant coach named Ryan Larsen from the University of South Dakota emailed Seekamp. The school, new to the NCAA Division I waters at that time, was interested in bringing Seekamp over to the United States. Ultimately she stayed over in Australia for nearly two more years, but all the while remained in contact with Larsen – he is now the head coach at South Dakota Tech in Rapid City. “He was like a brother to me,” Seekamp said. “We got really close. He was a huge part of me coming here.” There were also options for Seekamp to come over and play for Oregon State University or the University of Wyoming, but she eventually decided to sign with USD in 2011. What was the ultimate deciding factor? Trust, Seekamp will tell you, matter-of-factly. “Coaches can tell you, ‘You’ll start,’ or ‘You’ll play a lot of minutes,’ but I felt like USD was really honest and truthful with me,” Seekamp said. “They seemed like it would be a great fit. “I gave it a try and haven’t looked back since.” And the USD women’s basketball program, now led by head coach Amy Williams (who took over for Ryun Williams, who was there when Seekamp joined), has benefited from her presence. As of mid-February, Seekamp ranked second all-time in Coyote history in points and assists, and ranks third in steals. While there have certainly been talented women’s basketball players to come out of Australia, there was a time when the country was known more for the men’s players who came to the United States. “When I was growing up, it was more guys who came over to college because it was their way to be noticed and get to the NBA,” Seekamp said. “With females, I don’t think it was that big of a deal.” As to why the trend has changed, Seekamp credited the level of competition in her home country, as well as the number of college options in the United States – between junior colleges, two divisions in the NAIA, and three in the NCAA. “Now, with how good America is in sports, it’s one of those things that if you want to be the best, you’ve got to compete with the best,” Seekamp said. “That’s why probably more people are coming over here.” Once over here, Seekamp quickly realized it wouldn’t be easy to fly home. It’s not liking packing up a car and driving five hours home for a holiday. Christmas, especially, has been a difficult time, she