Sophomore guard Raven Busby is taking advantage of her time on the court and scored a career-high 18 points on Jan. 20 and 16 points on Jan. 27, proving herself to be a defensive titan for the team.

Busby, a healthcare studies sophomore, joined the team in her freshman year as a “3-and-D” guard, meaning she specialized in long shots and defense. After a slow start to the season’s first 14 games, she played over 20 minutes in two of the next three games. She posted her two best career performances in those two games. From limited playing time to grieving lost loved ones, Busby dealt with her fair share of struggles through her time at UTD. However, she was able to overcome these challenges and carve out a meaningful role on her team, playing an important part in multiple wins this season. Busby hopes to build upon her recent success and deliver UTD an ASC title. Women’s basketball head coach Joseph Shotland said Busby has grown significantly over the course of her career, and that he had an optimistic outlook for her future.

“She’s playing with a lot more confidence,” Shotland said. “As long as she continues to play with confidence, good things are gonna happen.”

Busby faced challenges on the court, but the greatest struggle she faced was a personal one. Her maternal grandfather passed away during her freshman season, and her paternal grandfather passed away earlier this year. She continued to play while grieving, a process she described as difficult. Busby said that basketball has been an outlet for her to deal with her grief, helping her avoid loneliness and distracting her from sadness.

“That was probably the hardest moment in my life,” Busby said. “That was the first time I’ve actually had to struggle with grief [and] learn how to navigate it.”

Busby and Shotland both described her play style as aggressive. Busby said she tries to adhere to her role on offense as a driver and three-point shooter while being intense on defense. She has an impressive record in shooting, recording a 5-11 from deep and 21-22 from the free throw line this season.

“I feel like it’s knowing your place and knowing how you are as a player,” Busby said. “I don’t try to make it too extravagant.”

Shotland described Busby as full of personality, despite initially seeming soft-spoken. He said she is an enjoyable presence on the team and has a great sense of humor.

“She’s actually a sneaky good dancer, it’s always funny to watch her on the sideline joke around and be goofy,” Shotland said. “She brings a lot of personality to our team and she’s an awesome kid to have on our roster.”

Busby described her academic life as rigorous, having to balance a tough schedule with basketball. She praised the sense of community at UTD, as well as the campus and faculty, having made most of her friends through university and athletic events.

“I’m doing healthcare studies on a pre-dental track, so it’s been really tough juggling all these labs and sciences and math along with basketball,” Busby said. “But I do really like the teaching style here … you can’t walk through everything, you have to try.”

Despite not playing in the game, Busby’s most memorable moment of her UTD career was winning the ASC championship game 63-57 against East Texas Baptist in her freshman year.

“We were going through a lot of adversity with my team in general,” Busby said. “We knew we were supposed to be there, and we just executed greatly. And that was one of the most fun moments in my life.”

Busby said she was proud of how the team has performed this year and was hopeful for the future.

“I think we have a lot of potential … the sky’s the limit for us,” Busby said. “I think the season is gonna be special.”