VERMILLION, S.D.–The game of basketball has provided South Dakota senior center
Abigail Fogg with playing experiences in numerous countries under a handful of coaches.
Hailing from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Fogg has spent the past two summers playing for the Canadian Development Team. The team played in the FISU World University Games in 2015 in South Korea and then traveled to Prague for an exhibition tournament in 2016.
Fogg is also in her fourth season of eligibility with the NCAA. In those four seasons she has had four different coaches – a rather uncommon situation for most athletes. She had two coaches in two seasons at American University, one year of competition with former coach Amy Williams and began this season with USD head coach
Dawn Plitzuweit.
"In the past five years of playing both collegiately and for Team Canada in the summer, I have had seven different coaches and each has had a different philosophy," said Fogg. "I have found it incredibly beneficial for rounding out my understanding of the game."
Per NCAA transfer rules, Fogg sat out the 2014-15 season after following former assistant Josh Hutchinson from American to South Dakota. Fogg used that year to get stronger and develop as a player.
"As a player, I have grown exponentially at USD," said Fogg. "In my year off, I spent a lot of time in the weight room with
Jevon Bowman to get physically stronger. I started to develop throughout last year and then in getting more court time this season I have seen myself grow more and continued to improve my skill set."
In addition to her work inside the post, Fogg's skill set includes long range shots from 15-foot jumpers to 3-pointers. Plitzuweit's motion offense fits her style well in allowing Fogg to take shots from a variety of spots on the court.
"Shooting has been something I have worked on a lot this year in particular," Fogg said. "The staff started working with us in the summer and
Russ Rose in particular has been really good at helping me practice taking different shots. The biggest part of it is boosting my confidence to want to shoot it, to know that I can shoot it and let it fly."
Fogg is averaging 9.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game this season while shooting 51.1 percent from the field. The Coyotes are off to their best Div. I start at 17-3.
Over the summer, Fogg and the Coyotes took a 12-day foreign tour to Australia where they played three games and bonded with the new regime.
Fogg also traveled to Kenya last May with USD's Fellowship of Christian Athletes to share faith through sport to the children of Saint Jacob's boarding school.
Fogg's basketball experiences have taken her across the globe in the past few years. If she makes the Canadian Development Team again this summer, she will travel to Taipei, Taiwan, for the 2017 FISU Games. She hopes to continue to travel and explore following her May graduation.
"My long term goal is to go to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo with Team Canada," Fogg said. "In that time, I want to be playing professionally for a team where I can continue to grow. I also want to experience the world and live life while I get to play basketball. Once all that's done, I would like to go to medical school."
In the short term, Fogg and the Coyotes are set to host North Dakota State and Western Illinois in a pair of league games this week.
