LAKELAND, Fla. — The first time Morgan Siebka had the basketball in her hands as a member of the Southern Florida College women’s basketball team, she froze.

“I held it and was looking for the first person I saw open,” Siebka said. “I was so nervous. The coach told me she could tell I was so nervous out there.”

Since, Siebka, a Slippery Rock High graduate, has calmed and grown into a key member of a young Moccasins’ team.

“I just had to tell myself its the same game I’ve always played,” Siebka said. “It’s the same exact rules.”

And no alligators were going to emerge from the paint to bite her.

Since her rocky start, Siebka, a 5-foot-6 freshman guard, has seen plenty of action. In the last two games, she averaged 21 minutes and began to do some of the things that made her a dangerous player at Slippery Rock.

Florida Southern coach Holly Borchers didn’t plan on playing Siebka as much as she has this season. Injuries and graduation losses have made it necessary, though.

“Morgan is picking things up the best she can,” Borchers said. “We graduated four starters and our two other major-minute players from last year are out with injuries. We are slowly but surely learning how to play together. Morgan doesn’t make excuses, and she finds time to put in extra work to help speed up the learning process.

“She has been thrown in the fire so to speak and she has responded as well as we could have hoped,” Borchers added. “It’s a learning process, to be sure. Her best basketball is ahead of her.”

Siebka is playing pretty well now.

In her fifth collegiate game, Siebka came off the bench and drained two pivotal 3-pointers to help propel the Mocs to a 53-48 win over Ohio Dominican.

It was a breakthrough moment for Siebka, who was known in high school mostly as a slasher and not an accomplished 3-point shooter.

That has changed at the college level, where Siebka has worked hard on her outside shot for the Division II Mocs.

“In high school, I didn’t have a confident 3-point shot,” said Siebka, who shared the Butler Eagle Girls Basketball Player of the Year Award as a sophomore with Tina Lipps of Union. “I’m much more confident now. I’m much more comfortable to take the shot.”

Siebka had no set goal for her freshman season in Florida.

Circumstances thrust her into the rotation, which has excited Siebka about the future.

“We are really, truly in a rebuilding mode this year,” Siebka said. “Everything happens for a reason. I’m getting a lot of experience for the future.”

Borchers is also excited about the prospects going forward. Even with the inexperience and injuries, Southern Florida is off to a 4-6 start and has played well through a tough stretch of the schedule.

One of the reasons for that optimism has been Siebka.

“Morgan brings a ton of positive energy to our team,” Borchers said. “She is all about the team and is willing to do whatever we need her to do. We have had a lot of injuries this season and she has stepped in and done a nice job for us as a ball handler.”

Siebka, though, is the first to point out she is rough around the edges. Adjusting to college basketball has been an eye-opener for her.

“When we get our scouting reports on our next game, all the descriptions for the player go like, ‘good outside shot, sees the court well, can go to the hoop, strong on defense.’ So, in other words, everyone is good.

“I thought I knew what good defense was,” Siebka added. “I didn’t know what good defense was until I got here and, before I knew it, the girl was by me making a layup. I’ve adjusted and I have improved so much already.”

Borchers has also seen Siebka’s rapid development. She’s also seen how her speed — Siebka’s big asset in high school — has sometimes hurt her at the collegiate level.

“Morgan’s strength and weakness is her speed,” Borchers said. “She is able to help break a press, get to the basket, or make a nice play on defense in part due to her speed and athleticism. Morgan is working on using that speed to her advantage without going too fast and getting out of control. Going too fast is a great problem to have; it’s a lot easier to teach a player to slow down than it is to get her to move faster.”

For now, Siebka is enjoying the college experience.

An environmental studies major, Siebka said she is balancing academics with athletics well.

“I can’t complain at all,” Siebka said. “I’m studying what I want to do for a living and playing a sport I love.”