Karlee Pireu is a former college basketball player at Ashland University. She played on the team for five total years (including the extra COVID-19 eligibility year). Karlee ended her five years with 1,648 points and 787 rebounds. She was also first-team All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Academic All-District, and All-Midwest Regional Team. Karlee walked us through what her days look like as a star basketball player and star college athlete!

8:30 AM: Wake Up

Karlee starts her day at 8:30 AM. She has a full day ahead of her, so she has to make sure that her morning routine allows her to enough time to get prepared for the day.

10 AM-1 PM: Class

Most people have easy days where they only have one or two classes, but for Karlee, every day seems to be packed full. Every day of the week, Karlee has classes from 10 AM to 1 PM without much time for breaks.

1 PM: Lunch

Karlee has to grab a quick lunch after three hours of classes so that she can make it to practice on time.

2-5 PM: Practice

The focus of her practices varies depending on the day. One day could be a full-team practice ending in a scrimmage. Another day can be solely devoted to watching team and opponent film. One practice could be just weight training.

6 PM: Dinner

After a long day of classes and practice, Karlee will head back and grab some dinner before heading to the library to finish up her work.

7-10 PM: Study Time

Karlee, like all other students at the university, will head to the library to work on her homework and attend club meetings. Karlee states that her days are incredibly strenuous but ultimately rewarding.

11 PM: Head to Bed!

Getting a good amount of sleep is crucial for student-athletes. Your days are packed full and you need to have enough energy to get through everything.

Being a student-athlete is not an easy task. While it is challenging for any student to miss class, athletes have to do so relatively often. However, Karlee has developed key time management skills for balancing traveling for away games and completing her homework. She says, “Staying ahead and having a planner is key! I always communicate with professors early about what assignments I missed.” Karlee's excellent time management skills have allowed her to succeed both in the classroom and on the court. It has also allowed her to foster great relationships with her professors. 

Image Credit: Ashland Athletics

* Originally published on August 30, 2023, by Julie Boris