In the fall of 2007, three women's basketball recruits arrived on campus at Fresno Pacific University with dreams of turning around the fortunes of a once-proud program that had fallen on tough times.

Last month, Brittany Baker, Michele Rebozzi and Jessica Torrecillas, graduated with four years under their belt. But it wasn't the storybook career they had longed for. In fact, at first glance it doesn't look like much was accomplished at all with a 40-78 record and plenty of frustration to go with it.

There'll be no championship rings, no banners hanging in the gym. But for this group the story doesn't end there.

The adversity they faced during their four years at FPU has shaped who they are, how they approach life and how they carry themselves. While much of the sports world would look at those four years and say “What a waste”, a closer look reveals a group that discovered the answer to bigger questions like

It was chance, or God's divine plan to be exact, that brought them together at the start. A bunch of little coincidences that came together at just the right time, as all three didn't know they'd be coming to FPU until very late in the recruiting process.

Baker had planned to go somewhere else but at the very last minute changed her mind and enrolled at FPU. An all-league point guard at Capital Christian High School in Sacramento, she came from a basketball family and knew the game inside and out.

Rebozzi and Torrecillas each came to FPU from San Jose and also decided on the Sunbirds very late in the recruiting process. Though they played high school ball just minutes away, they didn't know each other and were in many ways, opposites.

Torrecillas played on a state championship team at Archbishop Mitty High School. She was just the kind of player FPU would need to rebuild. A 6'0 player with a plethora of post-moves, quickness and a smooth jumper, she'd turned down offers from bigger programs on a “gut feeling” that FPU was the right place.

Rebozzi meanwhile starred at the much smaller Pioneer High School. She was a hard-working, energetic player with a love for the game that was contagious and a three-point shot that could light up the scoreboard in a hurry.

Despite being total opposites, they quickly became inseparable. When the two met up with Baker the three of them clicked right away and the “Tripod” was formed. The trio quickly earned that nickname on campus because you would rarely see one without the other two.

Together they were determined to leave a legacy; to turn FPU back into a winning program.

Striving for Greatness

The women's basketball program at FPU has had a rich history and to this day is second only to Vanguard in number of GSAC titles won. Many would be surprised to hear that the women's all-time winning percentage is more than 100 points higher than the men's team. The program had hit a rough stretch though and hadn't put together a winning conference record since 2001-02.

The Tripod's excitement to hit the court as freshmen received a swift reality check as it quickly became apparent that the team's overall talent wasn't where it needed to be. After a few early wins, the season turned into a complete train-wreck with the team losing 14 of its last 16 games en route to a 2-18 GSAC finish.

Torrecillas and Rebozzi earned regular playing time off the bench in what turned into a long, grueling freshman season. It was especially hard on Torrecillas, who experienced more losses that season than she had during her entire high school career.

“We love the team. We love our seniors, but we're going to get better from here,” the three of them would say as they looked forward to seeing more court-time with a year of experience under their belt.

The next season would indeed be more promising. The team added some talent and Torrecillas really began to come into her own, establishing herself as the team's top scorer and rebounder. What resulted was some big wins including a 66-61 victory over one of the conference's top-tier teams, Azusa Pacific.

As the season drew to a close, the team had a good chance to position itself well for the post-season. Once again the team faded down the stretch however, finishing 13-15 overall and getting blown out in the first round of the GSAC playoffs.

Despite the late-season struggles, there was a sense that they may have turned a corner and the team their junior season was arguably the most talented group of their careers. The optimism going in, only made the end result more of a letdown though as the team dealt with injuries all season and never played to its potential.

As the losses piled up, their confidence started to dwindle and by the second half of that season the team was mentally beat before the games even started. Three seasons of suffering loss after loss had really begun to take its toll on the Tripod, who was putting everything they had into these games.

“It felt like it was for nothing, like there was no point in playing,” said Torrecillas, who had been putting up big numbers but would have gladly traded them for a few more wins.

Baker was frustrated at the hand she'd been dealt and bitter at basketball as she sat injured on the bench. Rebozzi meanwhile, and no one loves basketball more her teammates would tell you, had completely checked out.

As other teams on campus started to rack up national championships the group put even more pressure on themselves. “It felt like we were a joke”, said Torrecillas. “There was a constant feeling that we were letting people down.”

This was the absolute low point. It had been nothing like they envisioned; three years of working hard day-in and day-out with nothing to show for it. Disillusioned by that fact, the three of them were bitter at basketball and angry with God.

Following their junior season, they knew something had to change.

“We don't like the people we're becoming,” said Baker, realizing the negative effect on their character it was all having. The three vowed to spend the summer reevaluating things before coming back and making their senior season worthwhile.

It was time for a hard look at what, and ultimately who, was at the center of their strivings.

“The expectations we put on ourselves for the first three years were so draining and just left us mentally exhausted,” said Rebozzi. “The losing was too much to bear because as college athletes our entire identity was wrapped up in that.”

That summer, the decision was made to hire a new head coach for the program.

A nationwide search commenced and in July, Erin Scholz, an assistant at Utah State University, was hired as head coach.

“The candidate pool was very strong, but Erin seemed to not only have the qualities we were looking for but also a passion for people that is really special,” said FPU Director of Athletics Dennis Janzen. “It was clear that for her, FPU was not just a good place to work, but more an opportunity to mold and shape lives for the Lord.”

The Tripod used the summer to examine their own hearts and found that the center needed to be on Christ, not on the constant desire to prove themselves, which had been crushing them under the weight of their own expectations. They embraced Coach Scholz's leadership, and showed up on campus that fall ready to compete.

After training for a couple weeks on the track, the team was eager to finally have its first official basketball practice, even if it was at 6 am. When they got to the gym though the lights were out and the court wasn't ready for them, with tables everywhere from another event.

“How typical,” they thought. “Why would anyone care about when the girls' basketball team is practicing?”. God has a way of working through perceived trials though, and had other ideas. Coach Scholz had the players split up and take time to just be quiet and pray.

The team came out of that morning with a renewed sense of vision and purpose. When all the players reconvened after their quiet time, they talked about how they needed to wait on God before rushing into the season. They talked about laying a foundation and what the program would be built on.

“It wasn't about Coach Erin, it wasn't about any one player,” said Torrecillas. “It was about putting God at the center of this program.”

The team decided to put the words “Go Up” on their shoes, as a constant reminder that they existed for something greater than themselves.

The Tripod had begun to see a transformation in themselves and entered the season with a new attitude, one that was open to let God work.  The focus would now be on Christ. Before anything else, that would be of utmost importance. This new attitude would be put to the test.

As seniors and team captains they would now have the opportunity to lead. They had refocused their priorities, and now it was time to put in the work.

In many ways the season was everything they could have dreamed of. Baker was healthy and playing again after an ACL surgery, Rebozzi was knocking down three-pointers left and right and Torrecillas continued to put up big numbers.

As had been the case throughout the previous three years, the girls found themselves working hard without getting tangible results. But instead of sulking they worked even harder, every day coming into practice with a great attitude.

There were times when the disappointment was almost too much to bear. The team lost five games by six points or less and saw many more slip through their fingers, including a second-half lead on the eventual national champions (Azusa Pacific).

This team had something different about it though. They had learned to, as Baker put it “Through it all, in the highs and lows, give glory to God.”

One game that really captured what the team was all about came in the middle of the season when first-place Cal Baptist, the #6 team in the NAIA, came to town.  With one of the most talented teams at the NAIA level, the Lancers took a 17-point lead on FPU at halftime and led the Sunbirds by 20 with 11 minutes left in what looked like another lopsided defeat.

While most teams would have rolled over, the Sunbirds refused to back down. They slowly chipped away at the lead and began to mount a comeback.

Torrecillas, who'd been unstoppable to that point, fouled out with eight minutes left but the team continued to fight, going on an 11-2 run. When Rebozzi drained a three-pointer to cut the deficit to five with 2:33 remaining, it sent the home crowd into a frenzy that hadn't been experienced at an FPU women's basketball game for years.

With the gym as loud as it had been all season, for any sport, the team amazingly cut the CBU lead down to 74-71.

Clearly rattled, CBU frantically tried to slow the game down as much as possible, using all of the shot clock for the final five minutes. Though FPU would fall just short of completing the comeback, they'd made a statement that day, and afterwards received a standing ovation from the crowd.

“That has never happened here,” Rebozzi said of the crowd's support. “It was the most awesome, adrenaline-rush feeling.”

All season long, they had the respect of both fans and opponents. “We love to watch your team,” the girls would constantly hear from people on campus.

All the tough times aside, they still had their moments. Torrecillas posted nine double-doubles and reached the 1500 point milestone for her career to finish second in school history. Rebozzi led the team in three-pointers and would finish sixth all-time at FPU.

Baker was just ecstatic to be on the court again. Her favorite moment came when she received a pass from Torrecillas and posted-up her defender for an inside bucket, a rarity considering she was the one usually feeding Torrecillas the ball down-low.

All three also earned NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors, while helping the team compile the highest GPA of any team on campus.

Near the end of the season when the team bus broke down at Point Loma and they had to sit around and wait to go back to their hotel, not one person complained.  As they watched the waves come crashing down against the San Diego shore, they thought about how at any point they could've reverted to their bitterness over wins and losses.

But they had stuck together and still had a desire to glorify God above all else. In many ways the crashing waves echoed what they'd been through together. The storms had come, but the foundation was rock-solid.

 “That day, no one had any problem being thankful,” said Rebozzi.

“There was shift of momentum in this program so that even when bad things happened, it wasn't the end of the world,” added Torrecillas. “It all speaks to the heart and character of this team.”

Though they never did get the on-court success they desired, they can all look back and realize that they were a part of something bigger. God had provided healing from an idol that hadn't delivered, and had redeemed it so they that basketball could be another way they showed forth his glory.

“We're leaving this place with a peace that I never thought I'd get from basketball,” said Torrecillas.

 “It really speaks to God's faithfulness,” added Baker. “To come such a long way, lay the foundation, to kind of be chosen to do that despite everything is a demonstration of His grace and favor. We had hopes for what we wanted to accomplish in college, but He lined up our desires to His will and ultimately blessed us beyond what we could imagine in the end.”

They were also able to provide leadership to a young team, ensuring that their underclassmen teammates wouldn't fall into the same cycle of finding their value solely through on-court performance.

“The leadership from this year's seniors has paved the way for this program for years to come,” said freshman point guard Jenay Herring. “They laid down the foundation of this program by being great examples and teaching us that it's not only about succeeding on the court, but as a person as well. They made the job of a freshman point guard a lot easier with their encouragement and positivity.”

Their coach had plenty of praise as well and was delighted to see them grow into leaders as seniors.

"I witnessed a freedom and a peace that the Lord brought into their lives this season," said Coach Scholz. "A greater freedom and a peace to embrace the time that they've had at FPU and to see the incredible value in it, as well as to just simply be themselves and rest in God's plan for their lives."

As the three reflected upon their college careers, there was an overwhelming sense of thankfulness: for each other, for God's providence, for every time they thought it was all for nothing when in fact it was being used by God to wake them up and redirect their hearts toward him.

Rebozzi in particular would tell you she had much to be thankful for, as she had a significant journey of faith in her four years. She'd given her life to Christ before her sophomore year and had gone from a hard-headed, stubborn kid to a selfless, servant-leader.

“It's been amazing to see those things take shape and mold [Michele] into who she is,” said Baker. “Whatever she does, she does it to the fullest. No turning back.”

Rebozzi will be taking her talents to Thailand, where she'll be a part of a basketball ministry trip this summer before using her degree to get into physical therapy.

Torrecillas plans to eventually pursue a doctorate in clinical psychology.

Baker will be leaving in January to set out on a global missions trip that will take her to 11 countries over the next year. (You can follow and help sponsor her missions trip HERE)

As they prepare for the next stage of life, there's a realization that they wouldn't be who they are today without life lessons that couldn't have been learned any other way. It hadn't gone the way they'd hope or planned, but there was no denying that God had been at work. They're prepared for the good and the bad, whatever lies ahead.

More than anything else, they'll take with them the long-lasting friendships they've built and a deeper understanding of God. They'd discovered that sometimes the way “Up” might be down, that the way to gain might be to give everything away, and that when all is said and done, there's a deeper joy that comes from valuing Christ above all things.