NORMAL — The ball is different and so are the skills required to effectively direct it.
So when Illinois State volleyball player Lexi Wallen considered adding basketball to her Redbird athletic resume, she first consulted a trusted expert on the subject.
She summoned younger brother, Doug, to join her in an activity she had not participated in for four years.
“I didn’t even tell the coaches. Literally the night before I knew I was going to have a skills workout with the (basketball) coaches, we both went to Shirk and shot around a little bit so I touched the basketball before I went,” Lexi said.