Chisholm makes transition from one court to another

At 9:17 p.m. on Nov. 27, senior outside hitter JuliAnne Chisholm recorded a kill to defeat Colorado at Ahearn Field House. Not only was it the final point of K-State's 2010 volleyball season, it marked the final point of Chisholm's career in a Wildcat uniform.

Well, at least in one venue.

Three days later, the K-State women's basketball team was in action against South Dakota State at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats led comfortably in the first half, prompting a player switch by head coach Deb Patterson with 4:16 left until halftime. The move was followed a comment by the PA announcer that incited an ovation from the fans in attendance.

"Now in for the Wildcats: No. 21, JuliAnne Chisholm."

Donning her old high school number, Chisholm, a native of Hillsboro, Kan., made her basketball debut less than 72 hours after wrapping her volleyball career. She played for the remainder of the half and recorded her first point on a free throw with 9.9 seconds remaining in the period.

She did so after practicing with the team for just one day. But, as she put it, there is no better time than the present.

"(The turnaround) is pretty quick, but volleyball season is over," Chisholm said. "If I sit around and wait, I'm not going to get any better, any faster, so it's just as well that I jump right in. I didn't know what to expect. I'm there, I'm ready, and if they think that it's right to put me in, then that's their decision. I've got a long ways to go."

She might have plenty of ground to cover, but Chisholm, who also excelled in track and field before arriving in Manhattan, is no stranger to the game of basketball. She was a four-year letter winner and garnered several all-city and all-district honors at Hillboro High School from 2003 to 2006. That success led colleges to come calling about her basketball skills, including Patterson and the Wildcats.

"That was back when we had that really great team in that 2003-04-05 period of time," Patterson said. "JuliAnne had been at camp and was a great athlete. Honestly, I wish we had snagged her. I think we waited too long and volleyball went after her real aggressive."

Chisholm said choosing between the two sports wasn't easy, but she ultimately decided that volleyball was the way to go. Success was hardly an issue on the court — or in the classroom, for that matter. She established herself as the Wildcats' best frontline player in her final two seasons and has been a mainstay on the Big 12 Commissioner's honor roll.

Knowing she only had one year of volleyball left, Chisholm approached head coach Suzie Fritz about the possibility of switching to basketball after her eligibility was exhausted. Per NCAA rules, she would be allowed to compete in a different sport through the 2011-12 season. Fritz agreed and, much to the delight of Patterson, the plans were made.

"I couldn't believe it," Patterson said. "It was like one of those moments when something really good happens in your life and you're like, ‘Wow, how did that drop out of the sky?' I was very excited and then even more so when I talked to JuliAnne and found out when she really meant it."

Fritz, who has worked with Chisholm for each of the last four seasons, couldn't offer much insight about Chisholm's basketball ability, but said she has some other traits that will immediately benefit the program.

"I don't profess to know anything about basketball," Fritz said. "What I do know is that JuliAnne has a tremendous work ethic, very high expectations of herself and is committed to whatever she does at the highest level. In that way, I think that she will help our women's basketball team a great deal."