Balance and enjoyment of the game: two things Rachel Sise said she desired when she came to play basketball at Oklahoma Christian University in 2004.
The decision to transfer marked the first step for Sise at Oklahoma Christian, as her athletic journey as a Lady Eagle culminates with an induction into the Athletic Hall of Fame.
Sise, whose maiden name is Martin, attended Edmond Memorial High School and played Amateur Athletic Union basketball throughout her high school years to increase her exposure as a player.
Post-graduation, Sise decided to continue playing basketball at the NCAA Division I level on scholarship. After being recruited by them, she played her freshman season at then Southern Missouri State University in Springfield, MO.
“It was a great experience,” Sise said. “It was definitely a challenge. The caliber of girls I was playing against was a lot more intense than before, so I was being challenged every day. It was just eat, sleep and basketball. That’s kind of all there was time for. It was definitely very eye-opening, and it grew me as a player and person.”
Sise played one season at Southern Missouri before making the decision to return home to Edmond, OK to play for Coach Stephanie Findley at Oklahoma Christian.
“I felt like I wasn’t having fun playing basketball, since that’s all I was doing,” Sise said. “I just needed some more balance in my life. I felt like if maybe I could continue to play, but maybe at just a different level, I could find that and enjoy playing again. Coach Findley had always let me know that there was a spot for me if I wanted to come back.”
During her first season at Oklahoma Christian, Sise made an immediate impact on the roster for the Lady Eagles, being named the Newcomer of the Year in the Sooner Athletic Conference for the 2004-05 season. Sise averaged 11.7 points per game during her sophomore season. During this season, the Lady Eagles also advanced to the second round of the NAIA tournament, ending the season 26-9.
“I knew I was coming into something that Tasha Turney and Lauren Decker already had a good thing going,” Sise said. “I just tried to find whatever I could, whatever was lacking from the team, however, I could contribute without trying to disrupt or take over. Just trying to find my role on the team and just excelling in that.”
Sise earned honorable mention on the NAIA All-American list her junior season as she increased her average points per game to 14.2. The Lady Eagles finished the 2005-06 season 24-10 with an appearance in the NAIA tournament.
During her senior season, Sise again led the Lady Eagles to a second round NAIA tournament appearance as Oklahoma Christian went 23-8 for 2006-07. She averaged 19.3 points per game, which earned her NAIA and Kodak All-American honors. Sise also received two Sooner Athletic Conference honors as a senior—Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.
Sise will be inducted in the Oklahoma Christian Athletic Hall of Fame beside teammate Decker.
“For one, it makes me feel old, but it’s an incredible honor,” Sise said. “I just remember growing up and watching some of the greats play and just to be named among them is a huge, huge honor.”
Although her basketball career has come to an end, Sise transitioned into running and said she continues to push herself athletically to continually make notable achievements.
“After basketball, I got into running, and I qualified and ran the Boston Marathon, which was something that I kind of took on after basketball and was more just for myself,” Sise said.
Sise currently lives in Tulsa, OK with her husband Bobby and daughter Sloane, where she manages her own hair styling business.
Sise will be inducted in the Oklahoma Athletic Hall of Fame Jan. 30 along with Steve Guymon, Natalya Nikitina-Helvey, Kenny Burns, Juan Lizarralde and Peggy Murphy Skiba.
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