Monday night, following the first practice of the 2013-2014 season, Creighton senior guard Carli Tritz gathered her teammates privately and informed them that she would be retiring from the game of basketball. The timing of the news may have come as a shock, but to those who knew Carli and knew what she was going through in dealing with chronic knee pain every day, the decision itself was not a total surprise.
Her career may not have ended the way she wanted it to. She may not be happy to concede defeat to her ongoing battle with debilitating knee pain. And with one year of eligibility left in her Creighton career it may not seem fair that it has to end this way. But in reality the only thing that would be unfair about Tritz’s retirement is if all that’s talked about is how her playing career might have turned out had she not been injured instead of remembering how much she accomplished while fighting through the pain.
People should remember her legendary performance in the 2012 MVC Tournament Semifinals against Missouri State on March 10, 2012. In that game she scored a career-high 29 points, outscoring the Bears 27-24 by herself in the second half. She scored each of Creighton’s 17 points in a nearly nine minute stretch that turned a 35-31 lead with 9:49 to play into a 52-43 lead with 51 seconds remaining. She followed that up the next day with a 19-point performance in a 53-38 win over Drake in the championship game. She was named MVP of the tournament after averaging 19.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2.3 steals over the three-day stretch that gave Creighton it’s first MVC Tournament title since 2002, the second in school history, and punched a ticket to the NCAA Tournament for just the fourth time in school history.
People should remember that as a true freshman she hit the game-winning free throws in victories over Marquette and Wichita State. Or that as a sophomore she hit two game-winners in victories over Bowling Green and Indiana State, and stepped to the line and nailed the game-tying free throws with five seconds left in the 1st round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament against St. John’s.
They should remember that last season, in what are now her final two games against Creighton’s biggest rivals, Nebraska and Wichita State, the Jays walked off the court with victories. In the case of win over Nebraska it was the first time Creighton had defeated the Cornhuskers since December 18, 2004, ending a seven-game losing streak in the series. In her career against the Shockers and Cornhuskers she averaged 12.5 points on 49.5% shooting from the field. Which is five percentage points higher than her career shooting percentage and nearly two more points per game higher than her career scoring average.
They should also remember that she played in ten elimination games throughout her three-year career, and in those games she averaged 13.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.7 steals to help the Jays go 5-5 in do-or-die situations. She is one of 25 Creighton women’s basketball players all-time to score at least 1,000 points in her career. The Bluejays won 62 of the 96 games she played in during her career, good for a .646 winning percentage. Included in those 62 wins are the aforementioned win over Drake to win the 2012 MVC Tournament, a 61-42 victory over Southern Illinois in last year’s regular season finale that clinched a share of the 2012-2013 MVC regular season title, and a 61-56 victory over Syracuse in the 1st round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament. That win over Syracuse marked the first time in school history that Creighton women’s basketball had earned a bid into the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons.
Those are just a few of the things people should remember about her career. For her teammates, however, their thoughts about what Carli Tritz means to them goes beyond what is in a box score. This year’s Creighton women’s basketball team features six seniors, including Tritz. Guards McKenzie Fujan and Jordan Garrison, forwards Sarah Nelson and Riley Norman, and center Alyssa Kamphaus were all part of the 2010-2011 freshman class along with Tritz. They’ve played along side each other throughout their entire collegiate careers, and they shared some of the things they’re going to miss about Carli on the floor, as well as what they are looking forward to seeing from her off of it.
McKenzie Fujan: “I just remember many times when we’d be down in a game and not talking and not showing any emotion. She would just say something silly, we’d all laugh, and then we’d be over it. I think I’ll miss her even more emotionally than physically. Just her talking and her presence on the floor. … She goes 100% no matter she does. She’s got a lot of charisma and she just likes to talk and be heard, so I think the ‘Bench Mob’ will be even more improved now.”
Jordan Garrison: “Honestly it just breaks my heart because I know how much she loves the game, and I know much she means to the team and vice versa. I know that’s something that’s really hard to go through mentally and physically. … I’m going to miss her presence altogether honestly. She’s a hard worker, but she also has that bubbly excitement she brings to the floor every time she steps on it. That’s what I’m going to miss the most, because whether it was a bad possession in practice, or a bad possession in a game, she was always right there saying something funny or something positive just to get you going again.”
Alyssa Kamphaus: “It’s a huge loss to our team, because she brings so much emotion and personality and she’s such a hard worker. She’s also positive and upbeat, and such a great leader. … She’s been on the sidelines the last few days helping coach us, pointing out different things that we can’t see, so she’s already helping in millions of different ways.”
Sarah Nelson: “I used to do individual (workouts) with her, and I’ve seen it wear on her for two years. I know if I were her I would’ve probably thrown the towel in at the beginning of last year. The fact that she did it this long is great and we’re proud of her. I’m happy in that if this what’s best for her health then she needs to do it. … I’ll never forget when we were at Southern Illinois and she had this freak play where the ball was going out of bounds, she reached out over the end line, I think her whole body was over the end line and she just pulled it back and scored a layup on it. She was just a freak athlete. I think everyone who ever watched her play will always remember the crazy plays she made. In an exhibition game our freshman year, she swatted a girl, it hit off my face, she got it back and drove all the way down for a layup. I don’t know if they counted it, but my face should’ve got an assist. … I think she’ll hands down be a great addition to our bunch of ‘crippled cheerleaders’ on the sidelines. I think that she’s always kind of had a weight on her shoulders the past couple years worrying about her knee, and having such high expectations of herself, but she just physically can’t do them. I think having that weight off her shoulders will make her ten times more vocal. I know that if she tells me to do something on the sidelines that I respect her just as much as the coaches. She knows what she’s talking about, so she’ll be good.”
Riley Norman: “Her being out there is just a huge energy for everyone else. Ever since freshman year she’s always been like a light for everyone out there. If something goes wrong she can make a joke or do something funny, and it just lights up the mood. That’s something really special about her that I’ll remember. I think (Taylor Johnson, her, and I) will create some ruckus on the bench too, so that will be fun.”
The last thing people should remember is probably the most obvious, and that is in end the decision to retire from the game of basketball was a difficult one. She struggled with it as much as she struggled with the pain in her knee, but she knew now was the right time to move on from the game she loved to play. And as she explained her reasoning, she did so with the same enthusiasm that she used to lift her teammates spirits on the court.
“It is frustrating because my mind is still sharp. I’m not old by any means. That was what got me through last year. The passing and the little things that I brought and obviously the leadership that I brought,” Tritz said. “But to see my body literally deteriorate for something that I loved I just knew it was kind of worth it at the time. And for athletes, no matter what sport you’re in, it always seems like the world at the time, but this knee has made me think of not just basketball, but life in whole new perspective. In a year from now none of you guys will be talking to me, and that’s okay. That’s the way it should be. You come four years, you leave, and you move on. That’s what I want. I want to be happily married, be a mother, and be able to do all of those things.”
She may be right in saying that an athlete’s popularity is usually short-lived. However, the one thing she may be underestimating is how quickly those who had the privilege of watching her play will forget the enthusiasm and joy she brought to Creighton women’s basketball.