Indiana University Athletics
Student Spotlight: Amanda Cahill
12/5/2016 9:31:00 AM | General, Women's Basketball, Student-Athlete Services
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Amanda Cahill does not exaggerate about being around basketball before she could crawl.
Her father, John Cahill, was a basketball coach growing up, and Amanda claims she was in the gym with him just one week after she was born.
By the time she began playing YMCA basketball at age four, she was in love with the game.
"I was around basketball a lot," Cahill said. "My dad coached while I was growing up, so I was always in the gym. I was his ball girl at practices, I went to all of the scouting games with him. That helped me better understand the game."
Cahill grew up to play for her father's basketball team at Clyde High School, located in a small manufacturing town south of Sandusky, Ohio. She was a coach's kid, a true student of the game.
Having her dad as her head coach only did more to strengthen their relationship. In a way, it was a fitting conclusion to the 18 years they spent going to the gym together.
"Some people think it's a bad dynamic when your dad is coaching you, but we always did a good job of separating basketball and home," Cahill said. "We didn't carry anything over."
Cahill loves the basketball culture at Indiana University.
It's one of the few places that matched the fiery passion she holds for the game she loves. When it came time to continue her career, Cahill had only one choice.
"A lot of it was the atmosphere here—Hoosier Nation is awesome," Cahill said. "I really like the team and the university; it's a really great place to be. It felt like home."
Cahill came to Indiana alongside fellow junior Tyra Buss. The pair provided a spark in the starting lineup during the first two seasons—both started every game and averaged double figures on the score sheet. Cahill recorded 11 double-doubles last season, the most by any Hoosier since 2008.
Alongside Buss, her teammates and head coach Teri Moren, Cahill and the Hoosiers broke some barriers last season. They won 21 games, tying highest season total in program history. They went unbeaten at home, 14-0, and punched their NCAA ticket for the first time in 14 years. After that, they got IU women's basketball's first tournament win since 1983, a 62-58 victory over Georgia in the opening round.
It's a season Cahill will never forget, but she doesn't want that to be the plateau.
"That's what we're striving to do," Cahill said on last season's accomplishments. "When I committed, I believed in the future of Indiana women's basketball and I wanted to be a part of it. All of us have that vision in mind, and we're trying to keep building it up to the level that the program deserves."
Like a handful of IU students in the athletic department, Cahill enrolled in the Coach for College program. The initiative sends students to Vietnam for an educational experience out of the ordinary comforts of campus.
"I've never traveled that far away from home, especially by myself, so it was fun to go out and do it," said Cahill. "The first couple days were really weird in terms of adjusting, but once you get used to it, it's a great change of pace. There were lizards that ran around in our room, for example."
As an elementary education major, the opportunity was perfect for Cahill. In the classrooms, she taught English to the Vietnamese students, and she couldn't believe how quickly they picked up the language. It also gave Cahill the opportunity to coach basketball, just like her dad when she was in high school.
Now, back in the states, Cahill is ready to see what the future holds. She just began her junior season, and she's ready for the fine art of balancing academics and basketball.
Part of that comes from the book Cahill and her teammates are reading, The Energy Bus. The players and Coach Moren read it six chapters at a time, and then come together to discuss the message of the book. Coach Moren wants the players going through life together not only at Cook Hall, but off the court as well.
"It talks about 'driving your bus'—taking control of your life down the right path with passion and energy," Cahill said. "I've learned to stay positive through the highs and lows. Everything happens for a reason, so you need to have energy."
Her father, John Cahill, was a basketball coach growing up, and Amanda claims she was in the gym with him just one week after she was born.
By the time she began playing YMCA basketball at age four, she was in love with the game.
"I was around basketball a lot," Cahill said. "My dad coached while I was growing up, so I was always in the gym. I was his ball girl at practices, I went to all of the scouting games with him. That helped me better understand the game."
Cahill grew up to play for her father's basketball team at Clyde High School, located in a small manufacturing town south of Sandusky, Ohio. She was a coach's kid, a true student of the game.
Having her dad as her head coach only did more to strengthen their relationship. In a way, it was a fitting conclusion to the 18 years they spent going to the gym together.
"Some people think it's a bad dynamic when your dad is coaching you, but we always did a good job of separating basketball and home," Cahill said. "We didn't carry anything over."
***
Cahill loves the basketball culture at Indiana University.
It's one of the few places that matched the fiery passion she holds for the game she loves. When it came time to continue her career, Cahill had only one choice.
"A lot of it was the atmosphere here—Hoosier Nation is awesome," Cahill said. "I really like the team and the university; it's a really great place to be. It felt like home."
Cahill came to Indiana alongside fellow junior Tyra Buss. The pair provided a spark in the starting lineup during the first two seasons—both started every game and averaged double figures on the score sheet. Cahill recorded 11 double-doubles last season, the most by any Hoosier since 2008.
Alongside Buss, her teammates and head coach Teri Moren, Cahill and the Hoosiers broke some barriers last season. They won 21 games, tying highest season total in program history. They went unbeaten at home, 14-0, and punched their NCAA ticket for the first time in 14 years. After that, they got IU women's basketball's first tournament win since 1983, a 62-58 victory over Georgia in the opening round.
It's a season Cahill will never forget, but she doesn't want that to be the plateau.
"That's what we're striving to do," Cahill said on last season's accomplishments. "When I committed, I believed in the future of Indiana women's basketball and I wanted to be a part of it. All of us have that vision in mind, and we're trying to keep building it up to the level that the program deserves."
***
Cahill knew she chose the right career path when she applied it on the other side of the world.Like a handful of IU students in the athletic department, Cahill enrolled in the Coach for College program. The initiative sends students to Vietnam for an educational experience out of the ordinary comforts of campus.
"I've never traveled that far away from home, especially by myself, so it was fun to go out and do it," said Cahill. "The first couple days were really weird in terms of adjusting, but once you get used to it, it's a great change of pace. There were lizards that ran around in our room, for example."
As an elementary education major, the opportunity was perfect for Cahill. In the classrooms, she taught English to the Vietnamese students, and she couldn't believe how quickly they picked up the language. It also gave Cahill the opportunity to coach basketball, just like her dad when she was in high school.
"Working with the kids in Vietnam was awesome," Cahill said. "That's probably what I miss the most. It was great getting to know them, even through the language barrier, being able to grow close to them and develop those relationships."
***
Now, back in the states, Cahill is ready to see what the future holds. She just began her junior season, and she's ready for the fine art of balancing academics and basketball.
Part of that comes from the book Cahill and her teammates are reading, The Energy Bus. The players and Coach Moren read it six chapters at a time, and then come together to discuss the message of the book. Coach Moren wants the players going through life together not only at Cook Hall, but off the court as well.
"It talks about 'driving your bus'—taking control of your life down the right path with passion and energy," Cahill said. "I've learned to stay positive through the highs and lows. Everything happens for a reason, so you need to have energy."
Players Mentioned
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