April 17, 2008

by Daniel L. Chamness (Freeport Journal Standard)

Shannon, IL - Chelsey Bunyer went from the town of Shannon (population 813) to New York City (population 1,500,000).

While the former Eastland basketball player will be the first to admit that she experienced culture shock and at times was frustrated with her basketball career, she would not change a thing and would choose Manhattan-based Wagner College all over again.

"The last 10 games of my senior year were the best moments of my career," said Bunyer. "We snapped a losing streak and to end the season, we were 5-5. We were playing some great basketball at the end of my career. It was much better than my junior year, when I was battling injury. When you are in NYC, you feel like you are in the heart of things."

Bunyer finished her career with 1,220 points. The Eastland grad hit slightly below 40 percent of her shots. She drained 520-of-1,328 field goal attempts and 122-of-163 free throws, averaging 11.0 points per game through 111 games. Bunyer hit 58 three-pointers. She also had 325 rebounds, 162 assists and 115 steals.

Bunyer became the 21st player in Wagner history to score over 1,000 points in a career. She finished 14th on the school's all-time scoring list. This year, Bunyer scored 314 points, an average of 10.8 per game. It was the second season in which she scored over 300 points. She also had 93 rebounds, 32 steals and 31 assists in her final season. She scored her points by draining 134 field goal attempts (11 treys) and 35 free throws. Bunyer scored 381 points during her sophomore year.

Bunyer, the daughter of Bruce Bunyer and Dawn Wilhelms of Shannon, will earn her degree in biopsychology in May. Her immediate goal is to play basketball overseas in Europe. She has been in contact with several teams but hasn't signed with anyone yet.

"I have built some great friendships during my years at Wagner," said Bunyer. "My father played for the University of Northern Iowa and for a junior college. He was a big influence, but did not push. He was definitely supportive. My high school coach (Colleen Finn-Henze) at Eastland was fantastic. My mom was tremendously supportive."