Roxanne Nesbitt goes from walk-on to captain for Yale Bulldogs women’s basketball
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Yale senior Roxanne Nesbitt was not supposed to be in this position. The thought of Nesbitt being a member of the university’s women’s basketball team was just that, a thought. During her freshman year in 2018, that thought became a reality.
Head coach Allison Guth, who was going into her fourth season in charge of the Bulldogs at the time, granted Nesbitt a tryout before their season started. Both Guth and Nesbitt are from Chicago and Nesbitt was coached by a longtime friend of Guth, who played for Illinois from 2000-04.
“My AAU coach knew Coach Guth, so I’d been in contact with her, so she knew about me and that I was coming to campus,” Nesbitt explained. “When I got to campus, I started playing pick-up with the team, but the coaches weren’t watching that, so I eventually tried out.”
That coach spoke highly of the guard to Guth, and she witnessed that as soon as the two met on campus.
“That travel coach spoke to Roxanne’s character, who she was and how she contributed to a championship culture as far as being a teammate,” Guth said. “That was something that stuck out to me right away because I think it’s important to bring the right type of character humans we’re bringing into the program.”
Nesbitt was the only person whom Guth and her staff were trying out that year, who were coming off a 2017-18 season that set a school record of 19 wins in a campaign. Nesbitt was put through an individual and team work out for her tryout, and Nesbitt came to the New Haven campus prepared, mentally and physically.
“I think my mentality was very nervous, but I also thought I had nothing to lose, so I may as well just try to best,” Nesbitt said. “I worked hard to get to that point, all summer leading up to the tryout I would do three-a-day workouts and work on my skills, and everything ended up working out.”
The offseason training paid off as Nesbitt was granted a spot on the team and is now one of three seniors on the squad for the 2021-22 season. Guth and her staff have seen Nesbitt grow to become a cornerstone of what they are building at Yale.
“Everyone is the author of their own story, and I think Roxanne is a player who played for an elite AAU program who had the credentials that she had, and then when I met her, I was captivated by her eagerness to get involved,” Guth said. “When you find the right player who is about the team and somebody who can be both inspiring on and off the floor, I think that’s a positive thing for team culture.”
Nesbitt’s journey to becoming a big part of the Bulldog’s foundation did not start well, though. The “nothing to lose” mentality that Nesbitt had going into her tryout was fading as her role on the team was uncertain.
“I think pretty much my whole freshman year, I felt like I didn’t belong, or I wasn’t good enough, and I think that made me play bad,” Nesbitt said.
Whether it was her teammates or the coaching staff, Nesbitt was unsure of whom to turn to for help because of the way she joined the team.
“At first, I didn’t want to take up the coach’s time because I didn’t know what my place was on the team as a walk-on,” Nesbitt said.
But, over the years, Nesbitt started to realize that she could impact and help the team off the court as well. This helped her become content with whatever role Guth and the coaching staff had for her on the court.
“It was hard mentally to get over that, and sometimes I still have moments of impostor syndrome,” Nesbitt explained. “But I think as I’ve gotten older, even though I still don’t play a lot of minutes, I think I’ve found ways that I bring value to the team in my own way and I’ve become more comfortable with that.”
Even though Nesbitt did not feel she was worth Guth’s time at first, the former Northwestern assistant coach kept a close eye on Nesbitt’s growth within the program.
“To go from being a player that was a walk-on in our program wasn’t recruited out of high school to come to Yale, but found a place here on our team, and has been valued for what she brings to the table on and off the floor,” Guth said.
Being one of four players who have played at least two seasons for Guth, Nesbitt understands what direction the program is heading. That has led her to have a more vocal role off the court, and a better relationship with Guth.
“I think my relationship with Coach Guth has grown a lot this year and last year,” Nesbitt said. “I try to communicate with her and see eye to eye with her about where we think the program needs to go, what we need as individual players, and as a team both on and off the court.”
There are 11 players on the team with a season or less of experience under Guth, with their 2020-21 season postponed due to COVID-19. She sees Nesbitt and the other veterans as role models and appreciates how passionate Nesbitt is about the team.
“I’m so happy that there are young players in our program who have someone to look up to,” Guth said. “I’m so grateful for the way that Roxanne truly, authentically, cares about her teammates in this program and wants to see success in every individual in this program.”
A team vote determines who will be captain for each upcoming season, a tradition engrained within each Yale athletic program. Before their season started, Guth announced that the team voted Nesbitt as their captain.
“We didn’t know each other that well and I was honored to be named captain this year,” Nesbitt said. “I’m not a very emotional person, but when Coach Guth announced that I was named captain, I almost started crying a little.”
Although she is the only captain, Nesbitt knows that role is not a one-person job.
“All the upperclass women lean on each other, and I think it’s a huge honor for me to be captain, but I know that I’m not doing this alone,” Nesbitt said.
Being on the court for the first time in two years, naming Nesbitt captain was seen as a great way to come back from a long period of inactivity, according to Guth.
“Not being able to compete for an entire year and with what the pandemic provided with such adversity,” Guth said. “I think we were just so excited for an opportunity to be back together, around each other, and to have Roxanne as our fearless leader, we were excited to name her captain.”
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