Mary Cormier laughed after hearing that Liz Satter described herself as “nerdy.”
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“I can see that,” Cormier said. “I know she reads a lot. I remember her telling me about a book she was reading this season about (the mind of an athlete). No one else does that. That’s not typical.”
Satter concluded her Loyola girls basketball career on Saturday, Feb. 20, with a 43-33 loss to Glenbrook South in the Class 4A Loyola Regional final. Satter, a senior forward and captain, scored 14 points, had eight rebounds and two blocked shots.
A three-year varsity player and two-year starter, Satter will be remembered as much for her basketball talents as for her well-roundedness. Satter, who plans to play basketball at Pennsylvania, is a straight-A student who enjoys her language and composition class but also is adept at solving complicated math problems in her multi-variable calculus and linear algebra class.
Satter also took an art history class as part of the honors program at Loyola and developed a respect for the field.
“I am not very good at drawing, but I have high respect for people who can,” she said. “It opened my eyes to something new. That’s why I like Loyola. It develops the whole person.”
Loyola coach Jeremy Schoenecker lauded Satter’s contributions to the basketball program and to the school. She’s a natural leader, according to Schoenecker.
“She grew so much as a player, but she’s much more than that,” Schoenecker said. “She’s funny, considerate and a fantastic student. She’s been a like a big sister to the younger girls, too. She was always making sure everybody was doing the right thing.”
Satter transferred to Loyola after her freshman year at New Trier, where she played one season of basketball at the freshman level. She credited the coaches and Loyola players like Maggie Nick, who graduated in 2014, for the smooth transition.
“I didn’t know anyone on the team, but they were all so welcoming right away,” Satter said. “I felt like I was part of the team immediately. There was no exclusion.”
Satter’s personality lends itself to making fast friends, according to Cormier, a senior captain and two-year varsity teammate of Satter’s. Cormier said Satter is capable of striking up a conversation with a stranger, whether at a restaurant or basketball game and it doesn’t matter if that person is young or old.
“She’s really positive and can befriend anyone,” Cormier said. “If we go somewhere to eat, she always starts talking to people. When we work the clocks at grade-school basketball tournaments at Loyola, she becomes best friends with the refs at halftime. She’s very social.”
Said Satter: “I do love talking. A lot.”
Some of Satter’s best memories from her senior season came off the court, she said, including Loyola’s trip to Mesa, Ariz., over Christmas break.
“So many great times,” she said. “The team dinners, the inside jokes, just hanging around each other. We would go to a teammate’s house to swim in her indoor pool. We really bonded well. That’s what this team was about.”
On the court, the 6-foot-2 Satter averaged 17.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.0 steals a game for the Ramblers (22-8). She shot 46.3 percent from the field, including 36.1 from 3-point range, and 78.1 percent on free throws. Satter was selected to the all-conference team for the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Red.
“One of the best things about basketball is that it teaches you dedication to your craft and how to push yourself through obstacles,” she said. “It’s a great way to build the best relationships. I’ve made best friends through basketball.”
Matt Harness co-hosts a golf podcast called Teeing Off. Find it on Twitter (@Teeing__Off) or at www.facebook.com/teeingoffpodcast and on iTunes.
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