Graysen Ludiker
ISU Sports Information
Guard Melisa Kadic did not begin playing basketball until eighth grade. Without any family members or friends to mentor her, YouTube became her primary means of learning.
“I guess I consider myself a late bloomer because I started basketball late, and I was the first one in my family to play basketball,” Kadic said. “I would watch every day, one to two hours, just looking at the moves, ball-handling drills and all that stuff. I had to teach myself everything because where I came from, unlike my teammates, I didn’t have any friends who were serious about basketball.”
YouTube proved sufficient, though, as Kadic quickly became one of the best players on her middle school team and made varsity the following year.
“I was an okay player out of high school and after I thought, ‘I think I need to go to JUCO so I can get better as a player,’” she said.
She decided to hone her skills at Western Nebraska Community College. Her coach was offensive-oriented and helped her progress significantly in ball handling, though she admits her first year was a struggle.
“My freshman year at JUCO I was still having shooting form problems,” Kadic said. “I used to shoot above my head. I thought, ‘I don’t know if I can go on after JUCO.’”
Her teammates and coach kept pushing her, though, reminding her of how far she had come and urging her to continue growing. She made the adjustments to her game and developed a newfound confidence her sophomore season. During her second year, she received her first call from a Division I school.
“I was happy,” Kadic said. “I thought I couldn’t make it that far, but I was like, ‘Well, if you work hard, then anything can happen.’”
She chose to come to Idaho State, where teammates have once again been a primary motivation.
“The girls are really nice and they’re very welcoming, especially the seniors,” Kadic said. “They did a great job making sure that new players are also part of the team. They’re very, very nice and that’s really good because it helps me a lot.”
Though there are six newcomers on the ISU squad this season, including last year’s three redshirts, Kadic is the only transfer. The jump to DI basketball has brought some new aspects to both her life and game.
At WNCC, she was never expected to lift weights and only watched film when the conference championships rolled around. The community service projects the ISU women’s basketball team engages in are also new expectations Kadic faces.
“At JUCO we didn’t do that stuff, so when I first got here I was surprised,” Kadic said. “I didn’t even realize that a DI athlete does a lot of stuff besides just playing basketball.”
The change of pace has been the biggest adjustment for Kadic so far. With lots of experience on the top half of the roster, she has had to learn how to adapt in a fast-paced environment where most of her teammates have already spent time in the system.
However, the journey has already been worthwhile, providing her with exciting new opportunities.
“The best moment so far has been going to Cancun, Mexico,” Kadic said. “I thought it was a pretty cool experience going out of the country and seeing the best athletes out there and watching how they play. It was pretty cool because I see them on the TV and I got to see them live.”
For now, the junior is trying to contribute where she can and continue to improve. Though no one in her family has picked up the sport yet, she still strives to set an example when on the court.
“I try to set an example for my younger cousins,” Kadic said. “They don’t play basketball, but they play soccer and have a passion to play soccer in college. I just want to be an idol for them and let them know if you work hard, you can have anything you want.”
