Approaching the final games of her college career, Purdue Northwest senior Cassidy Deno had a hard time grasping everything she’s accomplished.
“It’s been an amazing experience here,” Deno said. “I’ve said it time and time again. I’ve been so fortunate to play on the teams I have, with the girls I’ve played with and under the coaches I’ve had.”
Deno’s four seasons at PNW have been loaded with accolades as the Otterbein, Ind. native and Benton Central graduate has authored one of the most storied careers in PNW history.
But one person hasn’t been surprised by Deno’s college success: the one who recruited her.
“I knew what type of player she could be,” PNW coach Tom Megyesi said. “And she delivered.”
Deno’s impact at PNW was immediate. The 6-foot guard was named the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year after the 2013-14 season.
She was second team all-conference in her first two years and first team all-conference as a junior after averaging a team-high 19.2 points and 6.9 rebounds. She also led with 51 steals and an 88.4 free-throw percentage.
The honors have continued as a senior. Deno was named NAIA Division II national player of the week after a 51-point effort Feb. 1 against Olivet Nazarene. Deno also became the second player in PNW history to surpass the 2,000-point career mark.
Deno has been the leading scorer for No. 15 PNW this season, averaging 20.3 points. She does the most damage from 3-point range, where she’s shooting a team-best 44 percent (79-for-180).
That’s made her a target for opposing defenses, as was the case last Wednesday against No. 1 St. Francis (Ill.).
“They didn’t want us to touch the ball at all,” Deno said, referring to her and classmate Darien Thompson. “We were both getting face guarded. But we couldn’t just stop and give up or camp out in the corner.
“You always have to keep moving and get yourself open. Also, my teammates do a good job of setting screens for me.”
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Becoming more assertive on offense has been one of the key evolutions in Deno’s career.
“She’s being more aggressive and she’s creating things instead of waiting,” Megyesi said. “She creates her shot a lot of the time, when before she would just sit on the perimeter and wait for a pass. Now she’s attacking the basket more and she’s an all-around player.”
Deno’s focus in the final month of her college career centers on team success. She’s appeared in the NAIA Tournament twice at PNW, and helped the Pride win the CCAC Tournament as a freshman.
But after losing in overtime to St. Francis last week, Deno and the rest of the Pride again have their eyes set on the CCAC Tournament that starts next week.
“Now we know what we’re capable of,” Deno said after that game. “We still have a shot at the tournament and that’s our next goal. But we still have games left to finish the regular season and we can’t have those be letdowns for us.”
Dave Melton is a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.