Mary Corbett discovered something she hates more than losing this season. And that’s waiting on the sidelines. After breaking her wrist in a preseason practice, the 5-foot-7 guard had to watch from the bench as the Otterbein women’s basketball team started the season 0-2 overall. Corbett responded by averaging 9.6 points a game in her first five games since being cleared to play. She had double digit performances against Wittenberg (11 points in a 72-62 win Nov. 25), Catholic University (11 in a 71-59 win Nov. 29) and Colorado College (15 in an 88-80 win Nov. 30). “Mary’s very competitive,” says Otterbein coach Connie Richardson, whose team is 3-4 overall after losing to Muskingum 74-62 on Dec. 7. “She loves the game of basketball. She doesn’t like to lose. She’s not going to accept losing.” “Sitting on the bench was definitely difficult for me,” says the Upper Arlington High School graduate who transferred to Otterbein from Ohio Wesleyan University in the offseason. “I wanted to be out there with my team but I knew I might mess up my wrist even more. So I just had to sit there, be as supportive as I could be and help out my team in other ways than being on the court.” Otterbein hasn’t always been Corbett’s team. As a senior in high school, Corbett’s final two choices for colleges came down to Otterbein and Ohio Wesleyan University. She chose to play for the Bishops and spent two seasons at the Delaware school before transferring to Otterbein. Richardson says switching schools, especially before a player’s junior year, can be difficult but adds Corbett has quickly become one of the team’s leaders. When she was on the sidelines with her injury, Corbett worked with the freshmen and sophomores who were adjusting to collegiate basketball. “When you come into a new system, you’re still trying to figure out where you fit in and how much you should say. Mary has done a very good job with that,” Richardson says. “(Since we recruited her in high school), we knew what we were getting when she decided to pack up and come over here. We haven’t been disappointed.” “It’s been a pretty easy transition both academically and with basketball,” Corbett adds. “The coaching staff has been really nice and everyone has been pretty supportive of me.” The path however hasn’t been completely smooth. During an open gym, Corbett was chasing after a shot when she fell awkwardly. As soon as she hit the hardwood, she knew something was not right. “I looked down and knew something was wrong,” says Corbett who had surgery to repair the wrist on Oct. 2. “My wrist swelled up right away. Usually with a sprain, you don’t see swelling until a day later. “It affected the little motor skill things you don’t think about, like opening a door or opening a jug of milk. That took its toll on my mental state.” The injury could have been a major setback for many players, but that’s where Corbett’s competitive nature came into a play. Growing up the daughter of Grandview Heights High School boys basketball coach Ray Corbett and competing with her two older brothers, Andy (27) and Tommy (25), instilled a competitive spirit in her. “I’d always try to beat them in games but I lost at a lot of things when I was younger,” she says with a laugh. “My dad told me I can’t let things like (the broken wrist) affect me. I had to push through. After my surgery, I knew all those setbacks are going to go away and I’d be OK.” The healing process forced Corbett to change her game. Throughout her high school career and at OWU, the guard relied on her 3-point shot. Her senior year with the Golden Bears, Corbett averaged 12.1 points a game with 49 percent of her point production coming from shots made behind the 3-point arc. She made 46 of 90 3-pointers (51 percent) with UA. With the Bishops, Corbett made 33 of 101 3-pointers (.327) as a freshman and 23 of 76 3s (.303) as a sophomore. After transferring to Otterbein, Corbett spent the summer expanding her game, working on attacking the basket and rebounding the ball. Corbett believes the change in her game may have caught Wittenberg, which played Ohio Wesleyan in the North Coast Athletic Conference, off guard. Corbett didn’t attempt a 3-pointer but made seven of nine free throws and grabbed six rebounds in the win. “The injury affected the strength in my wrist,” says Corbett, who made one of her first 11 3-point attempts. “I had to concentrate on driving to the hoop and that’s how I scored the first few games. Now that these teams know I can drive to the hoop, I have to become an outside threat again.” “She’s one of those kids who not only shoots well but she rebounds well and attacks the basket,” Richardson says. “She’s not just a one dimensional kid.” Both Corbett and the Cardinals have struggled from behind the arc in the early part of the season. Otterbein made only 18 of 87 attempts (.206) in its first seven games. But Richardson has confidence Corbett’s range will improve as her wrist gets stronger. “She has that outside shot. On the opening weekend, we didn’t have anyone who could fill that spot,” Richardson says. “(Once we start hitting 3s), people are going to have to play honest out on the perimeter. That’s going to open our inside game, which is our strength right now.”