Port Allegany alumna Autumn Buchsenschutz’s athletic career has become something much bigger than what she accomplished in McKean County.
Buchsenschutz has played for an up and coming Daemen Wildcats women’s basketball team for three seasons, and in that span the Wildcats captured the East Coast Conference (ECC) title this past season and qualified for the NCAA Division II women’s basketball tournament.
The team was one day out from realizing a dream of playing in the “big dance”, but then COVID-19 took that opportunity away.
“I think the right word is frustrating,” said the 2017 Port Allegany High School graduate. “We were working so hard to get the chance to play in the NCAA Tournament, and then something out of our control took that from us. It was crushing and heartbreaking. This season, we will surely be playing with a chip on shoulder and will not take a second for granted.”
Buchsenschutz has been consistent for the Wildcats during her college career. She was one of five players last season to appear in all 28 of the team’s games.
The former Gator was a three-sport athlete and won a total of twelve letters in high school. She was a two-time team captain of the girls basketball team, scored over 1,000 career points, averaged 15.2 points as a senior and collected third-team all-district honors. She averaged 20.5 points as a junior and collected first-team all-district honors, was named a first-team Big 30 all-star as a junior, was named second-team all-district as a sophomore, was a three-time all-league (North Tier League) selection and was named the North Tier League (NTL) MVP as a junior, among other accomplishments.
“I really wanted to leave a legacy,” Buchsenschutz said. “My dad was a high school wrestling champ and has his name in the hallway. My sister was also a well rounded person, and I just wanted to leave an imprint of my own. I was fortunate to be put into positions to succeed in school as well as in sports.”
Buchsenschutz started her goal of becoming a college basketball player in the eight grade. She joined Full Court Hoops AAU out of Buffalo, N.Y., that summer, and it was something that helped her raise her game while seeing the best competition from across the country at some of the tournaments.
At the same time, she was becoming familiar with the Buffalo area, which was a foreshadow of what was to come in her college career. Daemen was a place that she was comfortable with and provided a chance to play Division II basketball.
Going to Daemen allowed Buchsenschutz to major in physical therapy and pick up a Doctorate of Physical Therapy in six years. As of now, basketball will be played in the spring semester and is slated to begin in January. If this season is cancelled, she will be able to accept a redshirt and return for a fifth year of college basketball.
Buchsenschutz notes she has a great appreciation and relationship with Daemen women’s basketball coach Jenepher Banker.
“Coach Banker is so encouraging to us about our school work and our time together as we team. She has set up time for us to study on road trips as well as community events for us to volunteer at. I feel like these volunteer events have made me closer with my team and also have made me just a better person,” she said.
Banker is also very appreciative of the kind of player Buchsenschutz has been for her team both on and off the court. The veteran coach said, “Autumn has been instrumental in helping build our program into a championship caliber one. She came to the program as a recruited walk-on and worked extremely hard to become a scholarship athlete. Although not playing many minutes as a freshman, she stayed on campus to work on her game over the summers and has become a key player. She is a tough player and a quiet leader who has had a great impact on her teammates.”
