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Coach Jonna Burke knows what it took for her to pull it off.

"She became a starter midway through her sophomore year," Burke said. "She didn't play at all as a freshman. A lot of 1,000-point scorers play their freshman year. She showed she could physically bang inside at the varsity level. She's athletic for her size. She can put the ball on the floor. She can hit that 12 to 15-foot jumper."

The 6-foot-1 senior forward put her talent to good use, accumulating 1,135 points over three seasons.

After a stellar senior campaign, Nowakowski has been named the 2002-03 Trib North Girls Basketball Player of the Year, edging sophomore guard Rachel Frederick of North Catholic and senior center Kate Hobbs of North Allegheny.

As a senior, Nowakowski averaged 16.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Her 49 blocks led the team, and her 35 steals were second. She was a 76.4 percent free throw shooter.

Burke was impressed with those numbers, especially under the circumstances.

"Kim did a great job this year," Burke said. "Her numbers stayed the same from last year, but this year she was the target every night. She was double and triple-teamed, and still found a way to get 17 points and eight rebounds. She played well under a lot of pressure."

She also helped lead Butler (22-6) to a second place-finish behind North Allegheny in Section 3-AAAA. The Golden Tornadoes would lose to eventual WPIAL champion Upper St. Clair in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs, then fall to the Panthers again in the second round of states. Nowakowski was happy with how the team played.

"We played with more team chemistry this season," Nowakowski said. "We would've liked to win the section though. If we hadn't played Upper St. Clair both times in the playoffs we might've gone farther."

North Hills coach Mark Timko knows how tough it was to prepare for Nowakowski.

"There wasn't a lot we could do except double-down on her," Timko said. "Coach Burke did an excellent job. She always had a shooter on Kim's side. We've always tried to double-down, except at our place this year we tried to go one-on-one and she dominated inside."

A lot of her dominance can be attributed to playing summer-time AAU ball. Burke feels that helped a great deal in Nowakowski's development. It definitely helped get her noticed. She will attend Bowling Green in the fall and major in Education on a full athletic scholarship.

"She played on an outstanding team with a lot of Division I kids," Burke said of an AAU team that included West Virginia-bound Meg Bulger of Oakland Catholic and Illinois signee Erin Wigley of Moon. "She was playing up to the level she will be facing in college. It made her more physical and aggressive. She had to be so she could score and get her hands on the ball."

The Bowling Green coaches told Nowakowski she'll play as a freshman, but she knows where her strengths and weaknesses lie, and that nothing is guaranteed.

"I have to earn a spot," Nowakowski said. "There are seven other freshmen, so we're going to be a young team. I can drive and shoot. I can post up and I have height. But I have to work on my strength. They have me on a weight-lifting program."

For her part, Burke has no doubt Nowakowski will succeed at the college level.

"As great as she has been, Kim is only starting to tap her potential," Burke said. "The ability to expand her game is there due to her athleticism. She will do damage in college. She won't be strictly a back-to-the-bucket player. Kim can become as good as she wants to be."

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