Becky Raeder has been a fixture in the Warhawk starting lineup, so when her name was announced as one of the five starters on Senior Day against UW-River Falls, it was no surprise to the home fans. Raeder led the Warhawks (19-2 [9-1 conf.]) to a 71-45 victory over the Falcons (5-16 [0-10 conf.]) on Saturday, Feb. 8, in what would be her 84th win for the program. The game saw Raeder and teammate Megan Corcoran honored during halftime in a tribute to both players’ careers in Whitewater.
Raeder, who hails from Sheboygan Falls, was gracious in accepting the award at halftime, where the Warhawks were leading by 18. She was awarded a framed jersey, presented by Interim Athletic Director Ryan Callahan and Chancellor Dwight Watson, who similarly commemorated Corcoran, who has been with the team for the past two seasons, after transferring from Madison College.
Raeder put her team in the lead in the first half, and finished the second with a huge lead, although River Falls plahed hard the entire game, and didn’t give up after going down big.
UW-River Falls coach Blake DuDonis mentioned Raeder by name during a post-game interview.
“We didn’t want Becky Raeder shooting the ball. We did not close down well to her,” he said of the Warhawk guard. He went on to call her a competitor, and talked about Raeder’s leadership ability.
“She’s one of those kids you watch on film and go ‘I wish we had one of those,” said DuDonis. “It takes four years to become this great player, and this great team.”
The way he chose to have his River Falls Falcons attack Whitewater’s league leading defense was by crowding the paint, attempting to limit shots down low. Forwards Aleah Grundahl and Johanna Taylor combined for only 12 points. The Falcons style of play was meant to stop Grundahl, who averages 9.6 points per game, the top mark for a freshman in the WIAC. To some extent, DuDonis’ plan worked, and the Warhawks only led by 8 points at the end of the first quarter.
The main beneficiary of the Falcons defensive setup was Raeder, who rained threes from the left side of the court. She really took hold of the game in the second quarter, hitting a 3-pointer with 7:59 to go, giving the Warhawks a 13 point lead.
She got hot down the stretch, hitting threes on back to back possessions with about 3 minutes left in the half. The second three came after a scramble on the offensive boards, where Raeder pulled down the offensive rebound, showcasing her versatility.
“When she came here it suited her a little more to play on the wing, but she still had the great qualities. It was almost like having two point guards at the same time, where you could trust Becky to get us organized if needed.” said one of her former coaches, Amy Zelinger.
After pulling the ball off the glass, she brought the ball back behind the 3-point line, and reset the play. This allowed the offense to have another look, and they eventually found Raeder open again for a third 3-pointer of the quarter. She’d add another two minutes later, finishing the second quarter with 14 points.
The years of Raeder’s career have seen high achievements for the Warhawks, including two WIAC championships and three National Championship tournament appearances. She has also been awarded WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll three times, as well as an appearance on the 2018-19 All-Sportsmanship team, making her one of coach Carollo’s standout players.
The second half of the game was never close, and the Warhawks continued their reign as the first place team in the WIAC despite the Falcons best efforts.
“Great leader, she cares more about her teammates and winning the game more than anything else,” said Carollo of her top player.
Raeder has worked hard to earn the trust of everyone involved with the program since her first day in Whitewater, a trait that impressed former assistant coach Zelinger, who worked closely in Raeder’s recruitment process.
““You could trust her. She didn’t make a whole lot of silly mistakes, she had an obvious basketball IQ,” said Zelinger, who was responsible for recruiting Raeder out of Sheboygan Falls high.
Zelinger now plays more of an advisory role in Raeder’s academic and athletic career as she transitions to the role of COBE advisor, after being with the Warhawks basketball program for more than 15 years.
Raeder’s role on the team has been a work in progress, but this season Carollo has finally nailed what to ask of Raeder, who is the team’s emotional leader.
Of course, Raeder’s main calling card is her scoring ability. As a freshman, she scored 4.7 points per game, seeing just over 18 minutes/game. The improvement continued, as a Junior, those numbers had almost doubled. Now, as a Senior, she sees the floor for about 33 minutes/game and averages 12.9 points/game.
As her on-court presence has grown, Raeder has transitioned into a new, secondary role.
She is now expected to be the floor general, moving players around on offense and making sure everyone knows their matchup in coach Carollo’s man-to-man sets. She’s often pointing out a weak-side kickout, or calling out “Screen!” to her teammates. She acts as the de facto point guard, even if she’s guarding the other team’s wing players.
She’s also tasked with the playmaking duties, often bringing the ball up the court to start the offense in motion. She doesn’t have eye-popping assist numbers (2.7/game) or steals (1.6/game) but makes impact plays that don’t show up in the box score. While she has the height of a wing player, she’s often confused for a point guard, because of her court vision, which she uses to help her teammates to get in position.
““Look back at the minutes she has played over the course of her four years. She’s on the floor because she’s trusted,” said coach Zelinger. “From the perspective of a coach, you want the people in the game that you can trust.”
Raeder has worked hard to become the emotional leader of the team. She cites team activities in August and September for creating a strong bond between teammates, which pay dividends in February and March.
“I know my teammates pretty well. I know when they’re getting down on themselves, I know when to have their back a little bit more, or get on them about something that they should be doing better if they aren’t,” said Raeder, who has been in the program longer than any other player. She made a point of having to arrange players-only practices in summer, and having to create culture from the first day.
“It was kinda tough, because Freshman outnumbered the returning players,” she said.
Coming into the season, there were questions about the amount of experience this team would have. With only five healthy upperclassmen, the Warhawks were always going to have to lean on youth for minutes. The emergence of Aleah Grundahl and Abby Belschner have been bright spots for the team, and have benefitted massively from the experience and leadership the team receives from Raeder.
“I love passing and I love setting up my teammates,” said Raeder. “ I kind of control the tempo, control the mood.”
This role benefits Raeder, because of her ability to command the offense. She’s able to be calm in high-pressure moments, helping to lead some of the less experienced players.
“I’m the person to keep everybody level headed when things start hitting the fan,” she said. She’s shown that ability countless times season, and used it again tonight to get a three pointer in the first half.
“When you don’t have that, that reset button, is when people start branching out, thinking ‘I need to make the play’ When a single person starts thinking like that, people start doing their own thing.” she said during an exclusive interview.
She also spoke about her life after college, and said she was looking for another reset, and to open a new chapter of her life.
“Our saying is forever teammates, forever family. That doesn’t change whether you’re playing or you’re done. They’re always going to be a part of the Warhawk program,” said coach Carollo, who has been in charge for 18 seasons.
For now, Raeder plans to fade gracefully into that role, and start a new journey in life. But she’ll always be remembered here as a member of the Warhawk family.