Senior Addy Knetzer’s transformation on the women’s basketball team has been nothing short of remarkable; just ask head coach Sam Jones.

“Addy is one of my favorite kind of stories because if you were to look at her freshmen year and then tell me her ending stats for her career, I would have laughed in your face,” said Jones. “And I think she would have too.”

Knetzer’s resume as a member of the Waynesburg University women’s basketball team credits her with having reached some lofty achievements, including being the program’s second leading scorer with 1,615 career points as well as the top rebounder with 1,032 during her time as a Yellow Jacket.

However, there was a time, four short years ago, that Knetzer didn’t think she would be able to play college basketball at all.

“[Waynesburg] was one of the only schools recruiting me for basketball,” said Knetzer. “At the time, I didn’t know that I was good enough to play basketball, so being able to play basketball at a [Division III] school was something that really appealed to me because I loved it more than I liked track.”

Knetzer eventually ended up choosing Waynesburg University, as fans now know, however she didn’t commit until the summer before her freshmen year, a move that she admits was rather late.

Upon arriving to campus, Knetzer and head coach Sam Jones had to undergo a learning curve to develop their relationship, as not all athletes mesh immediately with their coaches. There was no bad blood between the two, but it took until around the middle of Knetzer’s sophomore year for Knetzer to understand how Jones coached and for Jones to understand how to coach Knetzer.

“Really, it was just about her trusting that the coaches had her best interests in mind and us figuring out how to push the right buttons for her potential to come out,” said Jones.

After the two had a breakthrough during her sophomore year, Knetzer turned into a threat for the entire Presidents’ Athletic Conference. After registering four double-doubles during her freshmen year, she went on to add 12 more double-doubles in the team’s last 18 games of her sophomore year—she finished her career with 44.

After the first-time meeting Knetzer, Jones knew that she could bring something special to the court.

“What was standout-ish was her sheer athleticism. I mean, she was the best female athlete that I had seen or recruited at this point in my time here for sure,” said Jones. “And she had skill, don’t get me wrong, but it was the athleticism that got me excited.”

Knetzer played a leadership role on the team for much of her time in the program. Jones says her drive to always want to be better made her stick out, and that she without question is one of the hardest working players he has ever coached in his career.

Not only will Knetzer leave Waynesburg University as one of the best women’s basketball players in school history, but she has also left a mark on the track & field team as well, having helped win multiple championships thanks to her being named the PAC Field Athlete of the Year a record-tying three times.

The combination of being both a basketball and track & field talent has cemented her as one of the most unforgettable athletes in general to have walked Waynesburg’s campus, according to Jones.

“She’s probably one of the best female athletes to come through in either sport individually, and then when you put them together it’s pretty ridiculous,” said Jones.

After graduation, Knetzer is interning as an auditor for Holsinger PC in Wexford, Pennsylvania.