PALATINE, Ill. – Sitting at home one night, Monica Hinderer (Arlington Heights, Ill., The Willows Academy) stumbled upon something pretty cool on her computer: she was ranked fifth in Div. III in scoring.  That excitement was tempered a bit when she told her dad, who informed her that meant she had four more spots to show improvement.
 
“And I was like darn right, I'm going to be number one then,” Hinderer said.  “I realized that I can push myself to be number one, so you're expectations for yourself rise a little bit.”
 
That anecdote has been a microcosm of the Harper College women's basketball team this season.  One year after not winning a game and having their season cut short due to a lack of healthy players, no amount of success has been good enough for head coach Nichole Jones and the Hawks, who are 7-8 and 2-4 in the N4C.
 
And the 6-foot Hinderer is one of the biggest reasons, in the lineup and on the stat sheet, for the program's resurrection.  Through 14 games, Hinderer is averaging 20.9 points per game, which is second best in the country, and 12.1 rebounds, which ranks 13^th nationally.  Those contributions are the reason Hinderer is Harper College's 12^th Athlete of the Week for the 2012-13 school year.  It's Hinderer's second time winning the award after earning the honor during soccer season.
 
The transition from soccer season, when Hinderer helped lead the Hawks to their third Region IV title in the last 13 years, to basketball was an easy one because she who would go to soccer practice in the fall during the early afternoon before finishing the day on the basketball court with her teammates.
 
Hinderer has helped bring excitement and enthusiasm to the program just by being a part it.  From the time she was first seen by Jones at an IBCA All-Star game at Illinois Wesleyan last summer, to summer and fall workouts, Hinderer had an idea of what to expect this season.
 
“I was really excited,” Hinderer said.  “I knew that the previous season had been cancelled and that this was more of a rebuilding year.  Coach had gone out and recruited and looked at people.  I was really looking forward to this season and the girls.  My main goal was to give them a season that they never had last year, like to make up last season almost.”
 
Just a few weeks ago, Hinderer tallied 33 points and 17 rebounds in the win over Wright, which was the team's first conference win.  But speaking to a reporter after the game, Hinderer was disappointed in her play because she expected better.  That's because the voice in charge, Coach Jones, won't let anyone be satisfied.
 
“Everyone has high expectations of themselves, and then coach has even higher expectations than you have for yourself,” Hinderer said.  “So then you have to work even harder and push even harder.  We know what we're capable of and we're reminded every day by Coach that we have this potential and greatness within us and that we have to reach that or we've failed.  All of us take that as a challenge and set our expectations pretty high.”
 
The bar is certainly raised for Hinderer.  She's shooting 45% from the floor and has nine double-doubles this season.  Since scoring seven points in a season-opening loss to Elgin Community College, she has scored in double-figures in 12 of the 13 games.
 
“I expected us to be winning,” Hinderer said.  “I don't like the fact that we've lost six games.  That does not meet my expectations.  I feel like every basketball player, you need to walk on the court saying I'm going to win this game.  I'm glad that we've won games, but I expect to win every game.”
 
And with an attitude like that, it's no wonder that Hinderer and the rest of her teammates expect the wins to keep on coming.