SHAWANO (NBC 26) — For Leah Nordin, the transition from Shawano High School to the University of Wisconsin has meant a new campus, new teammates and a new level of basketball.
The Shawano native arrived in Madison on June 7 as part of Wisconsin’s incoming freshman class and has spent the last month getting acclimated to college life while preparing for her first season with the Badgers.
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The early days have been about learning the routine — from getting familiar with campus to adjusting to the expectations that come with playing at the Big Ten level.
“We got to Madison June 7, I think it was, so they moved us in early just so we could get like a layout of campus and go through the SOAR program they had us go through,” Nordin said. “Then June 15 was the official date that we started workouts.”
While Madison is a new experience, Nordin says she and her teammates have quickly built chemistry both on and off the court.
But the biggest adjustment has come once she steps onto the floor.
Nordin spent her high school career as one of Shawano’s top players. Now, every practice brings a new challenge as she adjusts to a roster full of players who were standouts in their own programs.
“Definitely just the physicality part of it, and also that everybody here is always super good,” Nordin said. “I know in high school there was always, you’d have a couple girls on the team that would be kind of standout players, but everybody here is a standout player.”
The increased competition has also brought a faster pace. Nordin said the workouts have been more intense than what she was used to, but she has been able to adjust during her first few weeks in the program.
Along with learning the speed of Big Ten basketball, Nordin is also learning the language of a new system.
She said one of her biggest focuses before the season begins is understanding Wisconsin’s terminology and continuing to get stronger in the weight room.
“Each coach is different, so these first couple weeks they’ve just been throwing new vocabulary stuff at us and all different plays,” Nordin said. “I just want to be learning that really super quickly and then just getting stronger in the weight room, being able to handle the physicality of the Big Ten.”
As she works to find her place on the team, Nordin said she wants to make an impact through her voice and energy.
She pointed to Wisconsin head coach Robin Pingeton’s emphasis on having a “level five voice” — bringing consistent energy and effort every day — as something she wants to continue developing.
“I feel like I’ve really had a voice, definitely in the weight room and on the court,” Nordin said. “I just want to keep doing that and just be a voice for everybody else and just that hype person.”
Nordin joins a Wisconsin program coming off a season where the Badgers made significant strides under Pingeton. She said one thing that has stood out about the team so far is the connection between the players.
“I think our connectivity, we’re always talking about being the most connected program in the nation,” Nordin said. “I feel like we could definitely unsettle some teams again like they did last year.”
For Nordin, the reality of becoming a Division I athlete started to sink in on the first day of workouts.
After years of preparing for this moment, she finally got the chance to step onto the court at the Kohl Center as a Badger.
“I think it was just like the first day of workouts for us, like wow, this is really here,” Nordin said. “You’re really here, you really get to shoot at the Kohl Center every single day, any day you want, and just being with the girls.”
With the season still months away, Nordin is focused on continuing to learn and improve. But there is one moment she is already looking forward to.
“The first game,” Nordin said. “Seeing how everything would go on game day and being with the girls in the locker room and just those type of vibes.”
