General studies freshman Catherine Blanchard has something to prove.

As part of the first class of athletic scholarship recipients since administrators discontinued the program more than three decades ago, Blanchard is faced with the pressure of succeeding on and off the court.

“I think she is holding up well. If there is any pressure, it’s part of who she is,” head coach DoBee Plaisance said.

Seven weeks and 133 hours of training and conditioning later, Blanchard says she is up for the challenge.

“As a player, she is versatile, a natural shooter off the court,” Plaisance said. “She has a very charming demeanor. We’re very grateful to have her.”

Blanchard has had to adapt to college style basketball and college academics all the while having the daunting feeling that “a lot of eyes are watching,” she said.

“I guess since we’re the first [athletic scholarship recipients], they’re going to look at us for the future to see how we did, and what did we do, to see if they’re going to have them again next year,” Blanchard said. “I know it’s a big controversy. For them to keep having us, we’ve got to keep up.”

Blanchard has had to endure a demanding schedule of training. Besides drills and conditioning, she must find time for school.

“Just going to class and realizing how much work I have to do and the GPA you have to keep up,” Blanchard said, “it’s tough.”

She said that changing her laid-back persona to get used to managing her schedule has been hard.

“The good thing about basketball is it wakes you up. You’ve got to get up and stay organized – if not it would be chaos,” Blanchard said.

Even harder than the conditioning and practice are the sacrifices she makes to her social life.

“The other day we were going to practice at 5:15 a.m. and one of our suitemates was just getting in,” she said.

But Blanchard never loses sight of the most important thing ahead: basketball season. Nightlife, Blanchard said, can wait.

“It’s not something I have to do,” she said. “There is time for it after the season but not now.”

The small-town girl was born and raised in Thibodaux, La., 42 miles southwest of New Orleans. She first started playing basketball at age 9, after many of her school friends introduced her to the sport. Basketball is not very popular in Thibodaux, which has a population of less than 15,000, Blanchard said.

But in a town where everybody knows everybody, Blanchard would soon be known for her basketball talent. She confessed things were not pretty at first.

“I was terrible,” she said. Her first taste of success came in eighth grade, as she led her junior varsity team to an undefeated season.

At E.D. White Catholic High School, she made the varsity team as a freshman and never missed a start during her four years there. In her junior year, she broke the single season record for points. In her senior year, Blanchard made history, leading E.D. White to its first playoff win in 26 years. That same year she broke the school record for total career points.

After scoring 19 points a game her senior season, Blanchard was selected to participate in the Louisiana Women’s Basketball All-Star Game in Baton Rouge early last summer.

“I didn’t want to go at first. I didn’t understand why they would pick me, I’m just from Thibodaux,” Blanchard said. “But once I got there I was fine. . . . I thought I was going to be so far behind.”

Blanchard chose Loyola over Belhaven College and Mississippi College because of its close proximity and academic reputation.

She was recruited through members of the Southern Belles Amateur Athletic Union basketball team, coached by members of Loyola’s women’s basketball program.

The 5-foot-7-inch Thibodaux native has had to change the dynamics of her game at Loyola. Blanchard has switched from forward to shooting guard.

“In high school I had to play post because I was one of the tallest ones on the team. I did what I had to do for the team,” she said. “Here I’m a little too small to play that spot, so I’m playing guard.”

Blanchard joins a young team that will look to improve on the success of last season (21-11). The Wolfpack have a scrimmage Oct. 16 against Delgado, before kicking off the season on Oct. 29 against Emmanuel College at the Lee University Tournament.

One thing is for certain: all eyes will be watching.

Michael Nissman can be reached at [email protected].