By Ed Shepherd
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

SEATTLE--Bounce, bounce, bounce...
Like a yo-yo, up and down, up and down. Precise with the ball on and off her hand, Lexi Peterson, with determined eyes, reads the defender in front of her.

Then, doing a move, a crossover dribble, moving left to right, she leaves her foe behind. She drives into the paint as the interior defense closes in, but Peterson is ready, as she sweetly kicks the ball outside for a teammate behind the three-point arc.
Swish!
The Seattle Christian graduate is now showing her talents and teamwork as a member of the Oregon Ducks women's basketball team that visited the University of Washington on Sunday, Feb. 8.

"I'm at Oregon, in my fourth year," said Peterson, a 5-11, red-shirt junior who is a guard for the Oregon Ducks, spending a lot of that time on the court at the position that leads a team on the court -- point guard. It's not her natural spot, though, according to Ducks' coach Kelly Graves, but Peterson is so talented. And that is the position Graves needs her to play.

"She has to play at point guard for us now," said Graves. "I admire her for doing something she is not suited to do."

Peterson is a long ways removed from her Seattle Christian Schools playing days, having helped lead the Warriors to a 2009 1A state championship her freshman year, along with then-teammate, Katie Collier, a red-shirt sophomore who is a 6-4 post at the University of Washington.

"It's definitely weird seeing her in a different uniform than me," said Collier. "But, I think, she chose the school that fits her perfectly."

Those two, Collier and Peterson, grew up together, having attended kindergarten through 12th grade together at SCS. Another local player for the UW, Aminah Williams from Kennedy High School -- who just set the all-time rebounding record for four years at the school -- played AAU basketball together with them in middle school and high school years, spring and summertime, on the Tree Of Hope team.

"I played with Aminah and Katy, Tree Of Hope was a really good team," said Peterson.

But, for Peterson, basketball started out much earlier than that time.

"The first time I played basketball was 3rd grade recess at SCS Elementary," said Peterson, who spoke, then, of why she picked up on basketball being something of a talent for her.

"I just realized, playing against the boys, I loved the game, and, I was competitive," said Peterson.

Then Peterson, a couple years later, started to play her first organized basketball out of Tukwila Parks and Recreation.

"In 5th grade, I played for the AAU, Tukwila Reign, " said Peterson. "We played against local teams, like Kent, Auburn and Renton. Then, I played in middle school and high school, on SCS' team, and also on Tree Of Hope, spring and summer. Tree Of Hope traveled nationally, went to tournaments in California, North Carolina -- all over. We played against really good competition."

After all that play for Peterson came recruitment by colleges and Peterson had a choice of many D-1 NCAA universities to play basketball and chose the Ducks. It's been tough for her there, as she missed her sophomore season because of tearing her anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL. So, the word redshirt in front of her being a junior this season at Oregon means Peterson can miss a season and still keep her eligibility to play an extra season.

Tearing her ACL hurt physically and emotionally for Peterson.

"My experience tearing my ACL taught me the game could be taken from me at any time," said Peterson.
Peterson tore her ACL not just her sophomore season with the Ducks, but before that, three games into her senior season at SCS.

Collier said this of Peterson, her Warriors' teammate, from an article by the dailyemerald.com, posted on Feb. 2, 2013, on that website.

“After she tore her ACL she was still at practice every day,” said Katie Collier, a high school teammate of Peterson's and on the University of Washington. “She was still acting as a captain without performing on the court. I think it says a lot about her.”

Peterson was smooth looking against the Huskies on Sunday. She scored the points that put her team ahead, 6-5, in the third minute of the first half and defended the Huskies' best shooters, Jazmine Davis and Kelsey Plum, in the game. All told, Peterson scored 10 points against UW in the 70-55 loss to the Dawgs, and that totaled third highest scoring on her team for the game. Her best game this season was against UCLA, back in December. She led the Ducks in scoring with 21 points plus and dished out nine assists in a 62-46 win.

She also led the team in scoring, with 16 and 21 points, respectively, against Portland and American.
"Offensively, she is getting the hang of it. Still too many turnovers, though, and you can't play that way," said Graves of Peterson, who turned the ball over five times in the UW loss.

So, that kind of outing, along with turning ball over four times in a 70-69 win over Washington State University two days before the UW loss, can cause a coach to come up with the word "suited" quite quickly.
Peterson likes the point guard position, though.

"I love playing point guard," she said.

"She's had some big nights for her," said Graves. "I trust her with the ball in her hands. She played great against UCLA, beating them, and she made 10 of 10 free throws."

But, there's work to be done.

"She has to continue to improve," said Graves. "Her ball skills have to continue to get better."

A lot of people have helped Peterson get better, helped her improve her game, as she mentioned her past coaches.

For her coach of the Tukwila Reign, Peterson said, "He taught me the importance of toughness, and being a well-rounded ball player."

And of Damien Young, Peterson's Tree of Hope coach, she said, "He showed me competiveness, how to be really tough, and taught me how to fight and be strong."

And, regarding Bob Kickner, Peterson's coach while she played four years of SCS high school ball, "I learned a lot from Bob. Most important, always, is to be well-rounded."

What is well-rounded?

"A lot of players, if tall, just play post," said Peterson. "They should learn to play other positions, too."
And, Graves, what about his teaching?

"Kelly has taught me a lot, he always is saying he wants me to know how to think the game," said Peterson. "And that's so true."

It all leads to somewhere more, one might want to think, like the Women's National Basketball Association.
Can Peterson get to that echelon?

"I think she has the skill and mental toughness and drive to go as far as she wants to go," said Collier.
Graves said, maybe not offensively, but, somewhere else, Peterson could really help her chances of thriving in this game.

"She is a tremendous athlete," said Graves. "She has the ability to be an offensive player, but, defensively, that is where she can really make her mark. She marked Plum and Davis in this game against UW, they can really score. And Lexi held them to making 12 of 38 shots, and 35 points combined, from the floor.

"Lexi is a great teammate and she has the potential to be a tremendous leader. She really works hard."

And, finally, for Graves, it was asked if Peterson can play at the next level, the WNBA?

"No," he said, pausing. "Not right now. Hey, I am just being honest. She's not ready now."

So she could be ready at some point?

"She has the athleticism, and, the length, to play at the next level," said Graves. "But, the WNBA has all the athletes that have that athleticism, too. And, there are only 12 teams and only 12 players on each team, 144 players. That's not many."

Peterson knows the odds of becoming a pro, but she wants to play at that next elite-of-the-elite level, "I want to play basketball after college either here in USA or overseas."

Peterson is only a junior on the Ducks, so she has another year to improve, to get better, to become ready for that step.

So, only one thing left to ask Peterson, the most important thing yet.

What is your favorite ice cream?

"Mint chocolate chip," she answered without hesitation.

Why is that?

"I don't know, I just like it," she said.