KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- It was while attending a game to watch senior commit Meredith Shipman, that Deja Wimby first caught the attention of current Western Michigan women's basketball head coach Shane Clipfell. Dishing the ball out, putting up a ton of points and stealing the ball were all things Wimby was exceptional at, as she averaged 15 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists per game her senior year. Clipfell, who is in his fifth season with the Broncos, loved her consistency.

"I loved the pace she played at," Clipfell said. "No matter what, she doesn't show fatigue even if she is tired, she is consistent."

In regards to where her consistency stems from, Wimby attributes it to her desire to help her teammates.

"I think it comes from me always wanting to put my teammates in the best position to score," Wimby said. "Or if I can play defense to help them out, as long as I am helping."

With offers from schools all over the Mid-American Conference (MAC), the decision to come to Kalamazoo and be a bronco was an easy one Wimby says.

"Western was more family oriented and they wanted to make sure I was going the right way with my career and grades, not just about me playing," Wimby said.

Western Michigan's close proximity to her family in Fort Wayne, Indiana was also important to her.

"My brother and sister are my two biggest supporters in everything I do," Wimby said. "You can ask them who their favorite basketball player is and they will say me."

Trusting the process is a concept that Clipfell swears by and tries very early on to get his players to do the same. Upon Wimby's arrival to the team, the coaching staff was pretty set on four-year point guard Alex Morton starting. Which meant for the first time in years, Wimby would be coming off the bench.

"I obviously wasn't the happiest person, but coach Shane just told me it will all come with time and he would bring up Shipman's freshman year," Wimby said.

Much like Wimby, Shipman did not see a lot of time on the court her freshman season either.

At times, Wimby's frustration with her role was apparent from her body language on the bench to her attitude. She had a difficult decision to make, check out mentally or buy into the process and trust in due time she would play. Wimby chose the latter.

"Coach told me to stay with it and the more I buy into what he says the more I'll be rewarded when my time comes," Wimby said. "I just had to stay patient and realize my time was coming and that everything would be okay in the end."

This season Wimby hit the ground running and has not looked back. On multiple occasions she flirted with a triple-double, a feat that no one in the history of WMU women's basketball has accomplished. On one occasion, Wimby even came close to a quadruple-double, racking up 13 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds and seven steals. Not to mention she sat out five minutes of the fourth quarter that game.

When asked how she feels about the opportunity to make Bronco history, Wimby gave a modest response perfectly in line with her shy and coy persona.

"Now that its been brought to my attention I am definitely going to focus a little more on becoming the first player to get one," Wimby said. "But its really just me wanting to get my teammates involved."

As impressive as her stats are Clipfell notes that there are so many other things she doesn't get credit for on paper.

"Sometimes I don't even fully appreciate it and recognize it as much as I should during the game, but I always do when I'm watching it on a film after the game," Clipfell said. "Like how many times she plugs a hole for someone that is coming out of a drive and still jumps in a passing lane to not give up an unguarded shot for the person she's defending."

On the court, Wimby's presence is seen and felt, but off the court her personality is somewhat of a mystery.

"She's really quiet in the locker room," Clipfell said. "Of course that's just around me and the rest of the staff, who knows how she is outside of the gym," Clipfell adds jokingly.

"I guess it depends on the mood I'm in, most times I'm quiet but sometimes I can be a little extra. For the most part I just try to stay out of the way and make sure my school is taken care of," Wimby said.

One thing her coaches and teammates can both attest to is her love for football. Wimby is a huge football fan!

"My dad is a big football fan and he lived in New Orleans so he was a (New Orleans) Saints fan," Wimby said. "Whenever we went to New Orleans he took us to the Superdome and that just made me fall in love with football."

Wimby's passion for sports led her pick to a major in physical education and coaching with a minor in health. After college, Wimby dreams of playing professional ball whether it is in the WNBA or overseas. If her professional dreams don't work out, another goal of Wimby's is to coach high school and eventually become an athletic director.