University of Northern Colorado Bears women’s basketball player Tatum West is nearly averaging in double figures this season in both scoring and rebounding.
That’s a big deal in Division I college basketball.
Pulling down a team-high 8.8 rebounds is a much bigger accomplishment for the junior forward and center than her 10.7 points per game.
Even more significant for West is the rebounding milestone she reached last week. She grabbed her 500th career rebound in a Jan. 10 win at Weber State.
“It means everything,” West said. “I think that rebounding is all about putting in that work. Like, you’re a workhorse if you rebound. I think hitting that 500 mark really proved that. If you want to do it, you’ve got to go and get it.”
West was not the only UNC basketball player to hit the 500-career rebounding mark Jan. 10. Men’s senior forward Brock Wisne reached the milestone on the same night as West in a home game against Weber State. UNC Bears men's basketball forward Brock Wisne (14) puts up a shot during a Dec. 20, 2025 game against the University of Denver at Bank of Colorado Arena in Greeley. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)
West’s 8.8 rebounds ranks third in the Big Sky Conference, where the Bears are on a four-game winning streak. Heading into a Saturday afternoon home game against conference opponent Sacramento State, UNC was 13-5 overall and 4-1 in the Big Sky.
The Bears’ last loss was their conference opener New Year’s night against Montana State, the defending Big Sky regular-season and tournament champion. After Sacramento State, UNC leaves Sunday for its third game in five days. The Bears play Montana State on Monday evening in Bozeman.
West’s 10.7 points per game is second among UNC players and puts her among the top 25 scorers in the conference. She ranks 24th, joining three teammates on the list.
In 18 games played and started this year, West has five games with a double-double. She’s on a two-game double-double streak in conference games. West had 16 points and 10 rebounds last week at at Weber State. She scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds Thursday night in a home win over Portland State.
A standout high school player in Combine, Texas, West said she was a good rebounder for Crandall High School. She’s said she’s much improved now. There’s a saying in UNC women’s basketball on being an effective rebounder: it’s all about the will and the want. UNC Bears basketball forward Tatum West (24) looks for a chance to pass the ball during a Dec. 3, 2025 game against Kansas City at Bank of Colorado Arena in Greeley. West is averaging 8.8 rebounds per game for UNC and she reached the 500-career rebounding mark Jan. 10 during a game against Weber State. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)
Listed at 6-foot-2, West is one of the taller players on the Bears’ roster. Neither size nor quickness completely guide the game’s best rebounders, Bears head coach Kristen Mattio said.
“The best rebounders rebound every single time a shot goes up, and they’re not worried about whether they get it or not, but they go after it,” she added.
West said Mattio and the other UNC coaches have pushed her to understand rebounding is a strong part of her game. On the glass, as a basketball backboard is known, is how West will get her name on the stat sheet.
Watching West in game tape, Mattio said, it’s clear to see West doesn’t “accept a box out.” As a shot goes up, West doesn’t give up when a defender makes a move called boxing out to keep West from rebounding the ball. UNC Bears women's basketball player Tatum West, left, goes for a rebound during a December 2024 game against North Dakota at Bank of Colorado Arena in Greeley. (Greeley Tribune file photo).
Mattio said she recently heard from a coaching colleague and friend that UNC ranks third in Division I in rebounding percentage. The Bears come up with a rebound 54% of the time when the ball hits the rim, Mattio said.
A lot of the credit for that number comes from West’s work on the boards, along with teammate Aniah Hall (4.9 rebounds per game).
“She doesn’t stand behind. She’ll just go around you,” Mattio said of West, adding the coaches saw the player’s grit when she was a freshman. “She has that in her DNA. She has that personality.”
Hence then, the article about unc bears women s basketball player grabs 500th career rebound was published today ( ) and is available on GreeleyTribune ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( UNC Bears women’s basketball player grabs 500th career rebound )
Also on site :