March 22, 2010
Perseverance, determination, or `having guts’, is the English translation for the Finnish word “sisu”.
It’s the same four letters permanently inked on the underside of Hannah Tuomi’s left wrist: a reminder to the Commodore junior of her Finnish roots. It is also what it’ll take to get what she wants when she and her teammates meet the Xavier Musketeers in round two of competition in the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship tomorrow night in Cincinnati.
Vanderbilt advanced in the bracket by defeating DePaul in round one, where Tuomi, VU’s center scored 17 points, made six assists, and had a career and game-high 12 rebounds.
At 6’1″, Tuomi is surging with confidence and energy in postseason play. She performed well against Arkansas, LSU, and Tennessee in the SEC tournament just prior to this week’s performance. In sharp contrast, last year the team dedicated the same post-season games to her since she’d been sidelined by a fractured foot that would later require surgery. As Sunday’s performance would attest, after a year marked by surgery, three months in a boot, and a long season of hard work, word around the Commodore dinner table is Tuomi’s back better than ever.
“In the last month or so, she’s played as well or better than she played before the injury,” according to the team’s certified athletic trainer, Michele Loftis, who witnessed Tuomi test her own limits through the year.
“She hated wearing that boot,” Loftis said. “A lot of times with a fracture of this nature, you don’t get that good of an outcome. It takes quite a long time to heal. I knew she was going to be just fine. She refuses to stop. She has more pain tolerance than most people. She’s one of those kids who by the time she tells you something is bothering her, it would’ve already kept another person off the street for weeks.”
Vanderbilt Coach Melanie Balcomb agreed at today’s press conference at Xavier’s Cintas Center.
“She’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever coached,” Balcomb said.
“It was a long rehab, and a long time where she was off the court, and that was tough. Just watching her down the stretch, we’ve become a better team because we have her presence inside.”
Senior guard Merideth Marsh says Tuomi, who is her practice free throw partner, is one player who inherently has a knack for the game.
Tuomi gets it honest biologically on both sides. The arts and science major who’ll turn 21 years old this week is the third generation of women basketball players on her mother’s side. Her 94-year-old grandmother played in Minnesota back in the day when women played half court ball in what was then known as the Minnesota farmers halls. Her mother, Jackie, played, as did Tuomi’s siblings.
Tuomi’s father, David, played too. His wife credits him with passing on the genes of strength to his daughters and son. Jackie drove 20 hours with Tuomi’s big sister, Jessica, to see Hannah play ball this week in Cincinnati. Should Vanderbilt advance to round three in Sacramento, CA., the pair will make the 20 hour drive back to their home in Thornton, Colorado, then fly to Sacramento.
“My husband is a full-blooded Finlander. He’s a tough Swede. They have the stubbornness and the hard work ethic to get things done. If you want something you need to work for it,” Tuomi’s mother said.
When asked if she fears for her daughter who’ll compete against some of the tallest players in the league, Jackie Tuomi shrugs and dismisses the thought.
“She always played bigger in high school. If she’s not ready now, she better get to work.”
Tuomi says the bigger players don’t threaten her at all.
“They’re big, which would remind us a little of Tennessee; big inside and their guards are also big. We have to prepare our defense for that and be ready for their inside presence.”
Apparently the Musketeers do consider Tuomi a force with which to be reckoned, according to the No. 3 seed Musketeers head coach Kevin McGuff, who had a few words about Tuomi.
“She’s a great competitor. She plays so hard around the basket, and it’s kind of a cliché, but she plays much bigger than she is because of her effort and intensity,” McGuff said.
“I am willing to do anything for the team. Whatever it takes,” Tuomi said.
