Bianca McGee hasn’t had the luxury of adjusting to a system or the luxury of time to find her place on the Lady Topper basketball team.

There’s never been any leeway, never any excuses. As a junior college transfer, her game evolved quickly along with her maturity.

“I’ve grown up a lot,” McGee said. “As a player, coach Heard and the rest of the coaching staff are always in my ear about being that senior leader. There are certain things other people can get away with that I can’t.  I don’t have a lot of time so there’s certain things that I just can’t do.

“Coming in as a junior, you have to get it right away. You only have two years and you’re done. Coming in I felt like a freshman and it helped me evolve my game a lot.”

Coach Michelle Clark-Heard remembers calling the 5-foot-9-inch guard – who at the time was playing at Kilgore College – to recruit her to play at WKU. McGee and fellow teammate Chaney Means represent the first seniors that Heard as a head coach for WKU.

“I remember recruiting her and telling her that this is a special place and she could come here and help us try to get things back on track where we needed to go,” Heard said. “Anytime you come to a program from a junior college and, realistically, you’re just trying to find a way to fit in and do the things that you can. She got here and had a set back with not being able to play those first games.”

McGee didn’t see the court until December of last year due to transfer rules. In her debut against Southeast Missouri she recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

But her time on the court during her senior campaign hasn’t produced the same numbers. By playing a whole season, she’s produced similar stats to last year where she only played just over half the season.

McGee still remains one of WKU’s guaranteed deep three-point threats. She’s tied for sixth in the Sun Belt Conference with three-pointers made per game (1.8).

“I take my hat off to her. She’s an unbelievable young lady and it’s been an honor to coach her,” Heard said. “It’s been awesome that she believed in coming here and our program with what we could do. I know this year she’s had some ups and downs on the court and not played as well as she’s wanted to, but she’ll go down as one of the better players to play here for two years.”

Those numbers don’t mean anything to McGee, she said. As of their last win against UT Arlington, the Lady Toppers are riding a five game win streak where they’ve beaten teams by an average of 27.2 points.

Heading into her final game in Diddle Arena Wednesday night against Louisiana-Lafayette, McGee wasn’t thinking about it being her last home game, she just wants to maintain the momentum.

“I try not to think about it because I’ve made great memories here and great friendships, so I’m not sure how it’s going to feel,” McGee said. “The team has a whole different mindset than we’ve ever had for as long as I’ve been here at least.

“These last games have been awesome for me, as long as they continue that then my senior year will have been great.”