Sitting in the coach’s office, among dry erase boards, granola bars, inspirational posters and mountains of video tape, Christine Harnischfeger nearly disappears into the comfortably worn green couch. The 5’4” point guard for the Queens College Knights waits patiently for a late reporter after a day full of practice.
Fortunately, the diminutive Harnischfeger, 20, is used to waiting. Growing up with three older brothers in Woodside, she undoubtedly had to wait her turn for the bathroom and just about anything else. She also had to wait to show her coaches and her teammates just what she is capable of on the basketball court.
When the 2009-2010 season started, the Queens College Knights were riding high fresh off capturing the East Coast Conference (ECC) championship the previous year. Expectations loomed large and from all directions for the women’s basketball team – from the school, their coach and, most importantly, themselves.
But the team soon learned that in sports, as in life, circumstances can change without much warning.
The team’s starting point guard, Amanda Bartlett, broke her wrist in the first game of the season, thrusting Harnischfeger into the starting role. Her first game didn’t go exactly as planned, as her turnover with seconds to play gave the opposition the victory. But as the season wore on, and as she continued to wait patiently, everyone soon found out just what this stellar athlete could accomplish.
“Her skills got her here,” said assistant coach Pat O’Brien. “The plays she can make with her size amaze me.”
The point guard position in basketball is often referred as the floor general. Taking the ball up the court, the guard is often heard calling out plays, and seen surveying the defense for weaknesses.
Since becoming the starting point guard, floor general Harnischfeger has taken the role of underdog leader and has run with it.
“I absolutely hate losing,” said Harnischfeger with a glare that can make a believer out of anyone. “And the more I’ve played, the more confidence I’ve gained and the more I hate losing.”
The way this season has gone, the Knights are 4-13 overall, one might think that Harnischfeger is full of rage at what she calls an “unacceptable lose total.” But Harnishfeger sees positives in this season, and she also believes that they aren’t out of contention yet.
“It’s very frustrating, but we’ve won a few in a row and we’re starting together,” she said. “We’ve had so many injuries, but if we just get back to basics and play defense, we’ll be ok.”
Harnischfeger has been learning basketball basics for as long as she can remember. The Archbishop Molloy High School alum just about grew up in the gym at Corpus Christi School in Flushing, where her dad coached basketball. She followed the game, kept score and shot around with the team during warm-ups.
Even back then, she was working on her goal of always being busy and using her time wisely. This work ethic earned her a spot on the second team all-city in 2006-07 while at Molloy.
“It’s really important that I stay focused,” she said. “If you don’t make goals for yourself everyday, you’re just going to lie down and do nothing. I love to sleep, so if I don’t set goals, I might not get anything done.”
Harnischfeger has not been doing much lying around lately. She’s consistently among the top scorers in every game she plays. In the Knights’ last game against Mercy College, she scored a career high 27 points.
She also majors in sociology when she is not on the court, and expects to enroll in five classes for the spring semester. She wants to work helping hospital patients and the homeless, an interest she gained after spending some time in France before she graduated high school.
“I saw how the other half lives,” she said. “That really got me interesting in helping people. Plus, I’m a point guard, which is all about assisting.”
With the right temperament, obvious leadership skills and willingness to get bruised up during games, Harnischfeger will continue to impress coaches, teammates and just about anyone else she meets along the way.
In short, she is determined to impress.
“Even if you’re short, you’ve got to believe in yourself,” she said. “Everyone said I was too short, but I’m proving them wrong now.”
