Kearney, Neb. - Starting in May 2014, a new feature called "Loper Reconnection" will profile former UNK student-athletes. Student Andrew Hanson asks the chosen Loper a series of questions.

The seventh subject is former women's basketball standout Jade Meads. Wrestler Brian Hagan, Darcie Berry (softball), Justin Coleman (football), Jenni Luke (volleyball), Diane Davidson Rouzee (softball & volleyball) and Nick Svehla (men's basketball) were previously profiled.

Meads, from Elm Creek, scored 1,649 points and grabbed 659 rebounds between 2006-09. She was a part of three NCAA Tournament teams, including the 2007 squad that reached the Sweet 16. Individually, she was tabbed a 2009 All-American by three different outlets after being named the RMAC Player of the Year. Three years earlier, Meads was the RMAC F.O.Y.


Name: Jade Meads
Hometown/High School: Elm Creek, Neb./Elm Creek H.S.
Years: 2006-09
Sports: Basketball
Current Residence: Kearney


Jade Meads grew up just down the road from the University of Nebraska at Kearney in Elm Creek, a small town located 15 miles West of campus.
 
She played high school basketball for Class-D Elm Creek High School. Despite coming from a smaller town, Meads made the most of her opportunities. "I was on some summer league teams, so I played with the Yvonne Turner types who played at UNL," Meads said.
 
When the time came to picking a college there really was no list. "UNK was the only visit I went on," Meads recalled. "Once I went there it just clicked with me. I got along really well with the teammates, I really liked the size of the campus and it was a perfect fit from the beginning."
 
Going through her freshman year for the Lopers Meads, who played for UNK from 2006-09, had to transition from playing in Nebraska's smallest level of high school basketball to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
 
"Transitioning from high school basketball to college was just very different," Meads explained. "It was a little more of a struggle just because it was a different type of game, a different pace, the physicality was all very different."
 
But Meads adjusted quickly and well.
 
Her freshman season she averaged 11 points and five rebounds a game while being name the RMAC Freshman of the Year.
 
The following year, Meads and the rest of her squad had extra motivation. The Elite Eight was going to be held in Kearney at the Health & Sports Center. "From the very beginning, Coach (Carol) Russell put on our binder 'To make it back to Kearney,'" she said. "That was our goal all season long."
 
The Lopers gave themselves a chance, too.
 
After picking up a win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Augustana, UNK knocked off Concordia-St. Paul in overtime to advance to the Sweet Sixteen against tournament host North Dakota.
 
"We really started clicking at the end of the season," said Meads. "We had a lot of different girls step up at different times."
 
However, the Lopers came up one game short of making it back to Kearney, losing to UND, 108-75. At half, the score was 46-40 in favor of the Sioux.
 
One loss didn't define that team though.
 
"We got so many compliments from the North Dakota fans saying what good sportsmanship we had, they had never seen a group of girls work so hard or have so much passion for the game," Meads reflected. "I think that really marked who we were as a team."
 
During Meads' last two years in a Loper uniform UNK appeared in back-to-back NCAA Tournaments, advancing to the second round her junior year in 2008 and falling in the first round to Minnesota State-Moorhead in 2009.
 
She finished her career as one of the most decorated Lopers of all time.
 
Fifth on UNK's career scoring list, Meads was named the RMAC Player of the Year in 2009 as well as being selected to three All-American teams.
 
Despite being six years removed from her playing days, Meads still comes back each year to play in the annual Alumni Game. "Last year, I was injured so I was the honorary coach," she joked.
 
This year she helped pace the alumnae, scoring 21 points for the former players. "It's nice to not only see your old teammates, but to communicate with the current players," Meads said.
 
Today, Meads works as the recreation superintendent for the City of Kearney's Park & Recreation Department, a field she got into because of UNK.
 
"I didn't know what I wanted to do when I graduated, so I went to get my Master's and I applied for the intramural graduate assistant position at UNK and received that," Meads explained. "Working with the university and the students was something I really liked, but I love to work with kids.
 
"That was what led me to the city side of recreation."
 
Meads still applies lessons she learned from her playing career to her work in recreation now. She had three main principles that she has carried over: teamwork makes the dream work, communication is key and leadership is key.
 
"Without the team you can't accomplish things and that goes for on the court and into your everyday lives with the people that you work with." Meads said. "I say that communication is key because without communicating with everyone or communicating with each other you're not going to get as far as you possibly can."
 
For her last concept Meads believes that leadership is key. "We really needed that leadership, someone to step up and bring the team together," she said, reflecting on her senior year of basketball.
 
"At the beginning of the year I don't know if we necessarily had it or we didn't know who that leader was going to be, but we found it and I think we became successful," Meads added. "I always think there needs to be someone in that leadership role who holds your team or group of employees together and lead you in the right direction."