BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Today we continue a new series called Student-Athlete Spotlight, presented by Coca-Cola, that will highlight Samford's outstanding student-athletes. Today's episode featured women's basketball junior, Andrea Cournoyer.
 
Cournoyer started her collegiate career at Louisiana-Lafayette, following an impressive high school career that saw her score over 5,500 points, the  third highest all-time total in the United States and second in Louisiana. She started 23 games at ULL, before transferring to Samford. She talked about what attracted her to Samford.
 
"After I entered the portal, two weeks later, Coach Carley (Kuhns) reached out and, not having a visit or anything, she made it really personal and consistently kept in touch," Cournoyer said. "She just really made it about Samford. She just really pushed how fun the team was, what a great atmosphere it was. I got to meet all of the coaches, we did a group FaceTime. It was just a good change, something I was looking for. I liked how it was a Christian community and tight-knit. Just talking to the players and talking to the coaches made me feel like it was family, and that's what I was looking for."


 
Cournoyer missed the first three games of the season with an injury, but has played the last three games, leading the team by averaging 17.0 points per game. She said she does not think she is 100 percent yet, but she is getting there.
 
"I think I'm still building up a little bit," Cournoyer said. "I'm definitely not in great shape, how I would be if I hadn't missed those game. Just missing the first three games, I'd say 85 to 90 (percent). My foot's still getting there, it feels a lot better than it did during that time. I just got out of the boot yesterday, I was still wearing that for rest. I'm not quite 100 percent, but I'm definitely on the up."
 
Cournoyer talked about the role she sees herself playing on the team this season.
 
"We have some really great pieces on the team," Cournoyer said. "I'm excited to be able to play with them. I think, for me, I just want to be consistent. I'm not a big vocal person. I try to tell people what they need to do in the game, but, we have Raven and Natalie and they are super high energy, and that's their role. For me, I just try to be the most consistent I can be. I try to bring that consistent effort every time. In Colossians 3:23 it says that we should do everything as if for the Lord and not for man, and when I'm on the court, I try to have that attitude. So, for me, I just try to be the hardest worker I can be and hopefully that will bring the people around me up as well."
 
In the early season, several members of the team have had to miss time with injuries. Cournoyer talked about how the team has responded to the adversity.
 
"We've just been trying to rally together," Cournoyer said. "People have been trying to step up in ways they are normally not comfortable doing. We've had some really good responses though, and I think it's brought us closer, honestly."
 
The team has also started with a tough non-conference schedule. Through the first six games of the season, four of those contests have been against Power-5 conference teams, with two coming against ranked opponents. Cournoyer talked about what she has learned about the team during this tough stretch.
 
"It has been tough, but I'm really proud of what we've accomplished so far," Cournoyer said. "It doesn't show in the wins and losses columns, but I think we have really proven how tough and hard-nosed we are. We have some younger, inexperienced player stepping up, and they're proving themselves. I'm really proud of them, like Mallory (Hampton), she's really come into her own the last couple of games. And Tootie (Kiersten Nelson), at first in practice she was struggling a little bit, but, especially and Indiana, she was one of the ones I was extremely proud of, she just came out there and played like she didn't care who we were playing. It's so much fun having a team that is extremely selfless and looks for other people. When you're playing with someone who's not looking out for their own, it just makes it an even more fun atmosphere."