In the classroom, DeHaan, a premedical and human biology major, also was struggling. Her work was piling up as she focused all of her energy on school and basketball. She was slowly straying away from a strong faith in God that had been with her for her entire life.

As her team’s season ended with a loss in the WNIT Championship and the spring semester came to a close, DeHaan went home to Grandville to figure herself out, get back to her roots and try to find the part of her that was missing.

Being back around her family and those closest to her allowed DeHaan to rediscover her faith within herself, relearning that if she let God take care of everything, she would be OK. As she packed her bags in late June to come back to East Lansing for preseason basketball training, she decided to do her part to turn the struggles of the past year into motivation for the upcoming season.

“I was halfway done with my college career and then what? Then what happens?” DeHaan said of her mind-set. “Basketball doesn’t last forever and instead of me just being the passive old Allyssa DeHaan, ‘I’ll get to it in a week or two,’ ‘Leadership will come,’ ‘I’ll be louder,’ I just decided it needed to happen now.

“This is my junior year, and it was just like, ‘click.’”

Who she is

This past summer, DeHaan decided to taper her class schedule to extend her academics to a fifth year, which has given her the opportunity to put the necessary focus into both school and basketball. Her grades have remained up to her high standards, and 16 games into the 2008-09 season, there is a different DeHaan on the court.

DeHaan’s season numbers (10.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.6 blocks per game) may be slightly down from her career numbers (13.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 4.2 bpg), but if you watch her closely you can see the difference in how she plays.

The problem with being 6-foot-9 and the face of the program, however, is that fans and alumni want to see her contribution in numbers.

“The thing with her I think is hard, and people have to understand … is when you’re 6-foot-9 and everyone in the gym thinks you should be dominating and scoring 40 points and getting 20 rebounds night-in and night-out and make it look easy,” MSU head coach Suzy Merchant said. “I think that’s unrealistic because each person is different and their personalities do affect their abilities to play on the basketball court.”

Previously, and for flashes this season, the player MSU fans see on the court is the true personality of DeHaan. She said she’s a “fun-loving girl” who loves clothes, shopping and looking nice (“It’s ‘cute day’ for Allyssa every day,” she said). She’s a self-proclaimed “big nerd,” which is seconded by her roommate, junior guard Mandy Piechowski, and her list of favorite books includes the medical dictionary.

“She is a nerd,” Piechowski said while laughing. “We’ll all be hanging out at our apartment and she’ll come back at like 11:30 (p.m.) and everyone’s like, ‘Where is Al at?’ Like, they think she was out doing something fun, but she was at (the Clara Bell Smith Student-Athlete Academic Center). I’m like, ‘You know where she’s at, you don’t even have to ask.’”

Piechowski said DeHaan has a “passive personality,” while junior forward Aisha Jefferson said DeHaan has a “calm demeanor.” Although those two attributes may be a hindrance on the basketball court, they define the type of person DeHaan is.

“She’s always there for you no matter what,” said Piechowski, who has roomed with DeHaan since their freshman year. “She’ll drive me to class if it’s raining, or I’ll drive her and she’s just somebody you can rely on. She’s very trustworthy and no matter what, she’s going to be there for you.”

Who she’s working to become

“(DeHaan) will never be a vocal leader, but where I think she’s improved a lot in her leadership skills is she’s just a lot tougher,” Merchant said of DeHaan this season. “I think some things would bother her last year and get to her on the court … but I think now that doesn’t affect her and I think now her mental frame is a lot stronger than it was a year ago.”

Compared to last year, DeHaan has added weight.

“I won’t tell you how much I weigh, but from spring until (October 2008) I’ve gained 10 to 15 pounds.”

The weight allows her to hold her ground better in the post. She’s become more outgoing, both on and off the court. She’s trying to be more aggressive, which she said she has struggled with her entire life, and knows is 95 percent in her mind.

Jefferson said DeHaan has drastically improved her communication on defense, and DeHaan said she’s taking more pride in doing the little things, such as diving for loose balls and jumping quick to snag rebounds a player of her size should get.

Because of those things, DeHaan said she can tell the difference between her play this year and previous years.

Her numbers and body language may not appease those who think she should be dominating every game, but DeHaan said she’s done trying to live up to who she isn’t. Instead, she’s trying to improve who she is.

“I have decided to throw expectations out the window and focus on us, my team and what I need to do for my team and what my role is,” DeHaan said. “I’m going to be the best I can for us to get the W.

“If that doesn’t mean 40 points and 20 rebounds (a game), too bad. We have so much depth this year and it’s great and it takes pressure off myself and other players that we have the depth and the talent to be able to do that.”