University of St. Thomas Athletics
Aquin newspaper story by Mary Logue from 1993-94 season
Throwback Thursday: Women's Hoopster had super senior year
11/19/2020 10:51:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Amy Bot built an impressive St. Thomas athletics resume from 1990-94 en route to her 2001 induction into the university's Athletic Hall of Fame.
Bot is remembered for her monster senior season. The guard-forward closed out her career as she led St. Thomas basketball to a 22-5 record and helped extend a program streak of NCAA playoff trips to eight.
The two-sport Tommie never made the state high school tournament while playing at Robbinsdale Armstrong. Yet as a freshman here she was a member of St. Thomas' NCAA Division III basketball championship team.
She was named MIAC Sixth Player of the Year in hoops as a sophomore in 1991-92 on a team that finished 26-1 and broke an NCAA record for longest win streak (40 over two seasons).
She made All-MIAC in soccer as a Tommie junior in fall 1992 after scoring 10 goals and 14 assists.
But Bot's most impressive traits may have come off the floor with her toughness and leadership leading into her senior year.
Super Senior
Bot suffered a season-ending knee injury just six games into her junior year. She endured nine months of post-surgery rehab and conditioning and made it back into a key role for her senior season of 1993-94.
Coach Ted Riverso had just graduated Division III's National Player of the Year, three-time All-America center Laurie Trow, as well as both of his starting guards from his 1992-93 team which finished 19-7.
With one transfer and seven freshmen called on to play key roles for 1993-94, Riverso leaned on Bot and junior teammate Terri Gill for leadership.
Bot responded by leading the Purple in scoring (18.6 ppg), assists (4.0 apg) and steals (3.9 spg).
She became just the second St. Thomas player to reach 500 points (501) in a season. That feat has now been achieved by only six Tommie players in the program's 43-year history: Trow, four times; Bot; Kirsten Vipond; Molly Hayden; Kaitlin Langer, twice; and Hannah Spaulding, twice.
Bot capped her senior season by being selected to the elite Kodak Division III All-America team; MIAC Player of the Year; and 1993-94 Midwest Sports Channel's Minnesota Division III Women's Athlete of the Year.
Despite missing those 20 games as a junior while injured, Bot finished with career totals of 916 points, 239 rebounds, 240 assists and 195 steals while shooting 55.1 percent from the field and 77 percent from the line. When she was in uniform on her four-year career, the Tommies posted an overall record of 83-9. That included a 57-5 mark vs. MIAC foes, and a 43-1 home record at Schoenecker Arena.
Riverso told the Aquin newspaper at the time that the senior season Bot put together "indicates what kind of a player she is and what a loss (her injury) was to the team a year ago... Despite a serious injury, she maintained her athleticism and developed her basketball skills to the point where they were nice complements... Her speed for someone her size is really exceptional... For her to put (team success) before (individual success) speaks well of her priorities and leadership abilities."
Full Circle
Bot, who married fellow Robbinsdale Armstrong grad Darrin Lamker, is watching her Twin Cities college athletics experience come full circle.
Bot's old Tommie coach Riverso remains in the MIAC as Augsburg's head hoops coach. Her St. Thomas teammate Laurie Trow Kelly continues as head coach at Gustavus.
Last December Darrin was hired as head football coach at Augsburg, a place where 22 years earlier as starting QB he guided the Auggies to their first NCAA football playoff berth. Darrin previously was head coach and led Osseo High football to the 2015 Minnesota large-class state championship, and through 2019 was Edina High's head coach.
Now the oldest the Lamker's two daughters, Maple Grove High senior Jordyn Lamker, has signed to join St. Thomas Women's Basketball first NCAA Division I recruiting class. The Tommies will debut in the Summit League for the 2021-22 school year.
True to her family genes, Jordyn Lamker is a top student and standout at Maple Grove in both basketball and golf.
Bot is remembered for her monster senior season. The guard-forward closed out her career as she led St. Thomas basketball to a 22-5 record and helped extend a program streak of NCAA playoff trips to eight.
The two-sport Tommie never made the state high school tournament while playing at Robbinsdale Armstrong. Yet as a freshman here she was a member of St. Thomas' NCAA Division III basketball championship team.
She was named MIAC Sixth Player of the Year in hoops as a sophomore in 1991-92 on a team that finished 26-1 and broke an NCAA record for longest win streak (40 over two seasons).
She made All-MIAC in soccer as a Tommie junior in fall 1992 after scoring 10 goals and 14 assists.
But Bot's most impressive traits may have come off the floor with her toughness and leadership leading into her senior year.
Super Senior
Bot suffered a season-ending knee injury just six games into her junior year. She endured nine months of post-surgery rehab and conditioning and made it back into a key role for her senior season of 1993-94.
Coach Ted Riverso had just graduated Division III's National Player of the Year, three-time All-America center Laurie Trow, as well as both of his starting guards from his 1992-93 team which finished 19-7.
With one transfer and seven freshmen called on to play key roles for 1993-94, Riverso leaned on Bot and junior teammate Terri Gill for leadership.
Bot responded by leading the Purple in scoring (18.6 ppg), assists (4.0 apg) and steals (3.9 spg).
She became just the second St. Thomas player to reach 500 points (501) in a season. That feat has now been achieved by only six Tommie players in the program's 43-year history: Trow, four times; Bot; Kirsten Vipond; Molly Hayden; Kaitlin Langer, twice; and Hannah Spaulding, twice.
Bot capped her senior season by being selected to the elite Kodak Division III All-America team; MIAC Player of the Year; and 1993-94 Midwest Sports Channel's Minnesota Division III Women's Athlete of the Year.
Despite missing those 20 games as a junior while injured, Bot finished with career totals of 916 points, 239 rebounds, 240 assists and 195 steals while shooting 55.1 percent from the field and 77 percent from the line. When she was in uniform on her four-year career, the Tommies posted an overall record of 83-9. That included a 57-5 mark vs. MIAC foes, and a 43-1 home record at Schoenecker Arena.
Riverso told the Aquin newspaper at the time that the senior season Bot put together "indicates what kind of a player she is and what a loss (her injury) was to the team a year ago... Despite a serious injury, she maintained her athleticism and developed her basketball skills to the point where they were nice complements... Her speed for someone her size is really exceptional... For her to put (team success) before (individual success) speaks well of her priorities and leadership abilities."
Full Circle
Bot, who married fellow Robbinsdale Armstrong grad Darrin Lamker, is watching her Twin Cities college athletics experience come full circle.
Bot's old Tommie coach Riverso remains in the MIAC as Augsburg's head hoops coach. Her St. Thomas teammate Laurie Trow Kelly continues as head coach at Gustavus.
Last December Darrin was hired as head football coach at Augsburg, a place where 22 years earlier as starting QB he guided the Auggies to their first NCAA football playoff berth. Darrin previously was head coach and led Osseo High football to the 2015 Minnesota large-class state championship, and through 2019 was Edina High's head coach.
Now the oldest the Lamker's two daughters, Maple Grove High senior Jordyn Lamker, has signed to join St. Thomas Women's Basketball first NCAA Division I recruiting class. The Tommies will debut in the Summit League for the 2021-22 school year.
True to her family genes, Jordyn Lamker is a top student and standout at Maple Grove in both basketball and golf.
Players Mentioned
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