'Abby being Abby:' Feit's personality and game have Evansville women's basketball rising

EVANSVILLE — Abby Feit was having a typical Abby Feit game.

Friday showed the kind of performance those who frequent Meeks Family Fieldhouse have become accustomed to seeing. Feit has been the leading University of Evansville women’s basketball scorer every season since she arrived, blossoming into one of the top performers in the Missouri Valley Conference. In front of the first sell-out crowd in program history, she compiled another one of those nights.

On her way to a game-high 26 points in the Purple Aces’ 75-67 win over Murray State, she pulled up with a midrange jumper. The shot fell and, to Feit’s surprise, a whistle came. Three-point play. Typical.

One of the 893 fans at Meeks made a comment to suffice for the rest.

“That’s just Abby being Abby,” he said.

“I’m not always looking to score but just getting what comes to me,” Feit said. “If scores are there, I’m going to take them but also looking to rebound and get my teammates open. So I guess it’s a compliment, ‘Abby being Abby.’”

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And “Abby being Abby” was just that. Another standout showing; another winning performance. Wins used to be hard to come by for UE. Not anymore, at least not as much. The Aces (9-9, 4-6 MVC) have their most wins since 2017 with 11 games remaining before the conference tournament. Feit’s role in all of that? Well, that’s just Abby being Abby.

“We rely on her to score points for us, there’s no question,” coach Robyn Scherr-Wells said. “That consistency has helped our team be really consistent. We know we’re going to get so many points from her and that she’s going to attract so much attention on that end of the floor because that also opens up teammates.”

Feit, a 6-foot-1 senior, is the Aces’ leading scorer, averaging 15.9 points per game, but her presence is far from limited to putting the ball in the basket. She leads UE in rebounding, steals and blocks. And while she's not the Aces’ most important offensive threat, Feit is an all-action kind of player on both ends — a bit like former Chicago White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko, who she wears No. 14 in honor of.

That’s how it’s been since she arrived on campus, a leader of few words — something Scherr-Wells wants to expand upon — but tangible results.

“Last year we didn’t have a lot of wins, but it was definitely an improvement on the year before,” Feit said. Never one to take too much credit or bask in the spotlight, she always credits those around her. “Our coaches do a great job watching a lot of film and scouting certain places where I can get the ball and my teammates do a great job of finding me.”

Scherr-Wells: ‘She’s earned it’

The Aces practice early in the morning. Feit joked that some of the other players are mad at her for that.

Feit’s rigorous class schedule demands early training. Three times a week, as she works toward earning a biochemistry degree, she attends lab from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. She has a high GPA and plans to attend grad school.

Where does basketball fit into that? She doesn’t know yet, nor does Scherr-Wells. Better to focus on the here and now and sort the rest out later.

“We would love to have her back here at UE,” Scherr-Wells said. “That’s gonna be something that we’ll approach at the end of the season. No matter what she decides, we love her and we’re supportive of her in whatever that next step is.”

When Scherr-Wells was hired, she needed someone to build around, and Feit was one of those players. When a program is going through a major rebuild and is in need of a foundation, having an all-conference performer who was the MVC freshman of the year two years prior isn’t a bad start.

“I was pretty darn excited that I inherited Abby Feit,” Scherr-Wells said. “Obviously she was a good player before I got here, but I think she’s grown so much as a player in these last two seasons.

“She models what it looks like to be one of the best players in the league and she’s earned everything she gets. All the accolades, she’s earned it.”

Feit sees the growth, as well. When she came in as a freshman, teams didn’t know much about her. During her sophomore season, opponents began to focus on her — “I’ve had a target on my back for the past three years,” she said.

Still, Feit doesn’t take the plaudits alone. Her meekness doesn’t allow her to do so. That’s just Abby being Abby.

“I’ve had to work through that and work on my skills more and more,” Feit said. “I think Coach Robyn has done a great job doing that for me. She draws up great plays to get me easy looks.

“So, yeah.”

'Abby being Abby'

Feit was a bit puzzled by the foul call. Not that it mattered for her, it just gave her another free point on her way to another game-high for another win. Typical.

She’s been a cornerstone of the UE rebuild for two years now, with a third still possible. But Feit doesn’t take the credit. She shares it.

“(Scherr-Wells is) building great momentum,” Feit said. “I think this year we’re really showing what we’re made of and her values and what she brings to the table and showing through us. I think we’re definitely showing people that she’s changing this program.”

But of course, much of the success this season has come from Feit. That’s what happens when someone performs at that level, being the leading scorer, rebounder, blocker and stealer. That’s what happens when someone looks to be on her way to another all-conference selection.

That’s just Abby being Abby.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: How Abby Feit has Evansville women's basketball rising