It's hard not to compare College of Notre Dame sophomore forward Tinah Houck with her older sister, Toyah.
When the two played on the same team last season -- Toyah's last at Notre Dame and Tinah's first -- more times than not a rebound was pulled down by a Houck, each of whom is 5-10.
"I think I have a little more finesse in my game and my sister has the big power moves," Tinah said.
Notre Dame coach Tim Engle was pleased by the fact he confused the two only once or twice last year. Before Toyah's college career came to an end, she finished as the school's all-time leading rebounder (1,105) and was second in scoring (1,420).
And while Tinah has had the comparisons since she started her basketball career at Westminster High as a freshman in 1989, she's doing a good job of making her mark as a three-sport standout.
Along with basketball, she is a starter on the field hockey and lacrosse teams at Notre Dame. The chance to play all three was a big reason why she selected Notre Dame. Toyah also played lacrosse at Notre Dame.
"I'm trying to hold up to her expectations and also making some of my own," said Tinah, who is majoring in psychology. "I think I can make my own in field hockey. It's my favorite sport and the most challenging sport."
Basketball is on her mind now as the Gators are 10-9 with a team comprised of one freshman and four sophomore starters. With three senior starters last season, the team set a school record by fTC going 17-5 and winning its last 14. Houck saw plenty of minutes as a freshman and it's helping her this season. She's averaging 10 points a game and more than seven rebounds.
"We still have a lot of talent, but we're very young and missing a little experience," she said. "When it comes down to the end of the game, we're just not taking charge. We're learning a lot."
Engle, in his sixth season, agrees and believes this group will reach the next step. Houck is a big reason why.
"Toyah was a big part of my first recruiting class and the main part of
the building process. Tinah's job is to help get us to the next level -- a trip to the NCAA's," Engle said.
"This group has as much athletic ability as last year's team, but they're still learning to play off each other's strengths with new people taking on new responsibilities. Tinah has stepped up and helped fill the void left by her sister. She's rebounding, scoring and always has the assignment of covering the opposing team's toughest inside player."
Tinah will have a difficult time surpassing any of her sister's rebounding and scoring marks largely due to the strong support she has around her. This season's Gators have four players averaging 10 or more points. She has had some impressive individual game efforts that will be tough to match.
Last season, she pulled down 23 rebounds in a game against the Bahamian National Team.
Earlier this year, she had a 10-for-11 night from the field and scored a career-high 20 points in a 96-50 win against Beaver (Pa.) College. "It just seemed like everything I put up went in," she said. "A lot were transition points where I was in front of our press and finishing it off."