CHICAGO - Sisters Alyssa and Courtney Waldon had the unique opportunity to play basketball together at Chicago State University. By the end of their collegiate careers, the pair rewrote the record books.
Courtney stands as the Cougars' Division I leader in career points (1,581), 3-pointers made (319) and 3-point field goal percentage (.403) after playing from 2007-11. Alyssa finished ninth in points (971), second in 3-pointers made (181) and fifth in 3-point field goal percentage (.333) following her 2006-10 career.
Being able to play Division I basketball was an honor for both sisters and created memories the two cherish.
"We hooped together all throughout high school and also in AAU so we already had that chemistry on the court," said Courtney. "Getting to share my collegiate experience with her (Alyssa) was a blessing."
"Playing Division I basketball with my sister was an amazing experience," Alyssa stated. "Not only did we grow as teammates and players, but as sisters as well."
Prior to their time at CSU, the Waldon sisters were four year letterwinners at Sun Prairie High in Sun Prairie, Wis. Both sisters were ranked as top 50 players in the state after their senior seasons and finished with all-area and all-district honors in their final three prep seasons.
When the pair arrived on Chicago State's campus, it was up to head coach
Angela Jackson to develop their skills. In Courtney's first two years, the Cougars had back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since turning Division I (1984-85). Both sisters credit Jackson with instilling confidence in them to become better players.
"She (Jackson) taught me a lot about the game," Courtney said. "Most importantly, she had the confidence in me and that made me want to work and get better."
"Coach Jackson taught us many things on and off the court," said Alyssa. "She set us up for success in every situation and gave us the tools we needed to become a better unit. In governing that, I still always felt a presence of trust from her and freedom to just play the game we love."
Jackson enjoyed coaching the Waldons and talked about the impact they had Chicago State.
"Courtney and Alyssa were a pleasure to coach," Jackson said. "They were great young ladies and came from a great family. Courtney was a great competitor and leader for our program and Alyssa was the constant team player. Alyssa did all the little things and constantly got better."
In their first season together as teammates, 2007-08, Alyssa averaged 9.9 points, 2.3 assists, 1.8 steals per game and earned a Honorable Mention All-Independent Team nod. Courtney also garnered Honorable Mention All-Independent as a freshman and ranked 15
th in the NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage (.426).
Alyssa unfortunately suffered an injury that cut short her junior season, but did finish the year averaging 11.9 points, 2.8 assists and 3.5 steals per game. Courtney continued to flourish as a sophomore, averaging 10.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.7 steals per game while receiving a second consecutive Honorable Mention All-Independent award.
Bouncing back from an injury was no issue for Alyssa as she finished her senior season in 2009-10 with an Honorable Mention All-Great West Conference (GWC) award. That same season, Courtney made the First Team All-GWC as a junior, averaging 14.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.6 steals per game and leading the conference in 3-point field goal percentage (.443).
During her senior season, Courtney and the Cougars had a banner year. The younger Waldon sister took home the GWC Player of the Year and All-GWC First Team honors while CSU brought home the Great West Regular Season and Tournament titles. Courtney discussed how the team became a family during the 2010-11 season and the sense of accomplishment that they had together.
"My favorite memory has to be winning the conference tournament," declared the CSU all-time leader in scoring. "We had won the regular season so it was just icing on the cake. We had successfully crossed off the two biggest goals of our season. The fact that it had never been done was an accomplished feeling as well. I'd spent so much time with these girls that we had become a small family."
Coach Jackson discussed the family atmosphere among the 2010-11 Great West Championship run.
"The bond within that team was nothing like I ever seen," Jackson said. "They decided that they were going to go after the Great West Conference Championship and were not going to be denied. We had great chemistry, leadership and great players on that team."
Reflecting back on their playing careers, both sisters discussed how much it meant to them to rank among the best players in the Cougars' history.
"It means a lot to me, but I'm more excited for my sister," said Alyssa, who finished just 29 points shy of 1,000 for her career.
Courtney is still thrilled about breaking the record.
"It's still just as exciting to me today as it was when I broke the record," Courtney said. "I love the game so much so it was just an amazing feeling to know that all of the hard work and all the practice paid off in such a great way.
Both sisters had tremendous experiences at Chicago State aside from playing basketball.
"I met so many great people at CSU", said Courtney. "They all helped mold me into a part of who I am today. I had a lot of life lessons from CSU that really helped me get ready for my life after basketball."
Alyssa agreed with her sister's thoughts on Chicago State.
"I learned many things about myself and what it is that I loved and wanted to do after basketball," Alyssa said.
Having recently returned from Europe, Alyssa has been assisting in the production of house music as well doing some vocal work.Â
"My CSU education was the stepping stone that allowed me to build key relationships with a group of inspiring and talented people to assist and support in doing what I love," said the older Waldon sister.
Courtney is currently taking classes to receive her real estate license while also preparing to go back to school for her MBA. She has been modeling for the past year and half and has aspirations to sign with an agency.
