Three incoming freshmen joined the Lady Vols for the 2004-05 season having been named as the 2004 high school basketball player of the year by at least one publication.
One of those rookies, forward Candace Parker, was sidelined by knee surgery before the season began and never made it onto the court. Another, point guard Sa’de Wiley-Gatewood, struggled with her own knee problems before making her debut in December. In February, her year was cut short when it was decided that she needed some surgery of her own.
The remaining high school player of the year, though, made her freshman season at UT one to remember. Alexis Hornbuckle debuted as a backup to senior point guard Loree Moore but saw extensive playing time at both guard positions.
Her most effective position came when senior forward Shyra Ely shifted back into the post at power forward. That allowed Hornbuckle the opportunity to play at the small forward position, a spot that earned her accolades through the close of the season.
“Moving Shyra inside allowed us to play Alexis at (small forward),” UT coach Pat Summitt said. “That allows her to really hit the boards for us. She is effective at handling the ball, so having three players on the court capable of leading the team is a positive.”
Sometimes, transitioning between being the big-time player in high school to becoming one of many at college is a difficult change.
Not so much for Hornbuckle. Her overall numbers lowered from when she was the star in high school, but her across-the-board effort did not.
She averaged 21 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and five steals per game in her high school career at South Charleston High School in Charleston, W.Va. She followed that up with a rookie campaign at Tennessee that saw her average 8.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.14 assists and 1.82 assists per game.
As the lights got brighter around her, Hornbuckle’s performance only stepped up a notch.
In the NCAA Tournament, she averaged 7.8 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game in Tennessee’s run to the Final Four. Nowhere was her performance more impressive than the effort she put forth in the Lady Vols’ 68-64 loss to Michigan State in the national semifinal. Hornbuckle led UT with eight rebounds and six assists to only three turnovers despite playing with a stitched up gash on her hand suffered early in the action.
“I gave it my all,” Hornbuckle said after the loss. “Each and every second I was on the court, I gave it my all.”
For a freshman season filled with highlights, that perhaps seems a fitting theme — Hornbuckle gave her all.
