When you feel that something is right sometimes you just have to do it. And that can mean something as drastic as switching from one sport to another on the way to finding your true passion. Senior guard Mara Kemmer has experienced this exact scenario, as hey journey changed from being a two-way softball player at UNLV as a freshman to becoming a very vocal leader of the Lady Rebels, a team she's been a member of since her sophomore season.

This whole journey started when the team was playing in a mid-season basketball tournament at Arizona State in the 2017-18 season, and Mara's father approached associate head coach Caitlin Collier about joining the team. "Caitlin followed up and said you know we talked about it, and said we don't have really have the numbers so let's try. I mean she's clearly a good athlete." Coach Kathy Olivier recalled, during a season in which the Lady Rebels were low in guard depth after an early season-ending ACL injury to Kavionnia Brown.

Try they did, and even though her new teammates were a little "unsure" at first, according to Mara, they eventually came around because of her personality.

Mara described her personal journey to basketball as being much more of a "family", and one that, "If I have a problem I'm going to go to them. If I need something I'll go to my teammates, my coach, anything like that."

As for her transition to the softball diamond to the basketball court Coach Olivier said, "She was a really fast learner, she is a good athlete, and she is in great shape. She's really picked up the game fast and has put in a lot of time and does some really good things on the court."

Coach Olivier went on to say that she has been a "blessing" for her team and has been an effective leader. An outstanding student with a 4.0 GPA, Coach Olivier calls Mara a pivotal bench player, a very vocal leader with endless support for her teammates, "She is the person on the bench that's going to scream for you every second of every game. It doesn't matter if we're up 20 or down 20, she is going to scream and be supportive of her teammates."

Mara is studying human services and is scheduled to graduate in May. She is a very friendly and outgoing person, and Coach Olivier said she is a people person who everyone loves. "Mara makes sure she knows every single person on the team and we just loves that she invites them over to her apartment all the time. She's always making sure that she reaches out to everyone and doesn't leave one person behind."

As for her future, Mara is leaving things open. "I'm not entirely sure yet. I think a good thing is that I have a lot of options to choose from, it's not like I don't have anything to do. I think I want to pursue my MBA, probably somewhere else just to experience a new environment a new city. I don't know though I want to travel and do everything."

Coach Olivier certainly believes she can do anything she wants, "I mean the sky's the limit for her, she just fits in everywhere she fits in with everyone she's very dedicated to being the best that she can possibly be and we love her", she said, "She is going to be successful."