Learn has turned rebounding into an art

WBB: The senior is one of 28 players in America averaging at least 9.9 rebounds

Ava Learn grabbed 18 rebounds against Valparaiso last week. (Photo: David Eaton)

After finishing up a television interview in Murray State’s practice facility on Monday, Racer senior forward Ava Learn threw her heavy grey coat back on over her Murray State Basketball t-shirt as she walked back toward Head Coach Rechelle Turner’s office. Even though she grew up in Hyde Park, New York, and has dealt with her share of cold winters, the recent cold snap in Murray had everybody, even Learn, trying to stay warm by any means necessary.

When we sat down on opposite sides of the large conference table in Turner’s office, I brought up the subject of rebounding, and, for even just a moment, Learn’s million-watt smile seemed to distract her from the frigid temperatures.

Learn found out Monday she was the Missouri Valley Conference’s Player of the Week, after she averaged 16.5 points and 15.0 rebounds in the program’s first-ever wins over Northern Iowa and Drake. While she certainly had an attention-grabbing week, it ultimately punctuated her overall body of work this season as she is putting together one of the all-time best rebounding campaigns in Murray State history.

“I'm not going to lie,” Learn began, as she sat up in her chair. “The past few games, probably since the last Missouri State game (on January 4th), I have really just gone into every game like, ‘I'm Ava Effing Learn. I can get these rebounds if I really want to.’”

Ava F. Learn has just given us an early entry for 2025’s quote of the year.

Whatever verbiage she has used for her internal pep talks, they’ve worked. Last season, Learn had four double-digit rebounding games, as she picked up what was then a career-high with 12 in a game against Southern Indiana.

After Saturday’s win at Drake, Learn now has four double-digit rebounding games — in a row. Wherever the proverbial next level is in her game, Learn has found it.

On December 3rd, Learn grabbed a new career-high 17 rebounds in a Murray State win over Saint Louis.

On January 10th, Learn grabbed a new career-high 18 rebounds in a Murray State win over Valparaiso.

On January 16th, Learn grabbed yet another new career-high 19 rebounds in a Murray State win over Northern Iowa.

There’s not a lot of dot-connecting needed to pick up on the theme here. When Learn rebounds, the Racers win.

“She has the God-given body, athleticism and strength to go get them, but rebounding is about ‘want to,’” Turner said. “I know a lot of kids bigger than her that don't rebound. She just has a knack for the basketball and she wants to go get every one of them, because she wants to prove me right — that I think she can. This week, she literally went and got just about every one of them.”

Let’s put Learn’s season into perspective, thanks to our friends at Stathead.com. Learn has had three games this year with at least 17 rebounds. She is one of six players in the country this season to accomplish that feat.

Only six women in Murray State history have averaged at least 10.0 rebounds per game for an entire season. (Hall of Famer Jackie Mounts (1976-79) and Stephanie Minor (1994-97) both did it three times each.) Through 16 games this season, Learn is sitting at 9.9 boards a night. At this point, averaging double-digit rebounds almost feels like a foregone conclusion. Rebounding has become a game within the game for Learn, and she is most certainly winning that game right now.

“I'll get zoned in for a game, I'll get mentally locked in for a game,” Learn said. “At the end of the day, my best game play is when I'm free, when I'm having fun, when I'm all over the court, getting rebounds, playing defense, doing the best that I can. For me, if I get a rebound, I'm so happy. It's probably a horrible measure of happiness if I do get a rebound or not,” she laughed. “I have fun with it when it comes to rebounding. I think it is almost like a balance between a basketball game, but also kind of like, ‘Oh, can I get this rebound?’”

The answer to that rhetorical question has been a resounding ‘Yes!’ Learn has grabbed at least ten rebounds in half of the team’s 16 games, helping the Racers get off to a 12-4 record for the second-straight season. When it comes to rebounding, Learn gives her father, Andy, credit for teaching her the technique she uses today.

“Growing up, my dad, well, he's a very smart man,” Learn chuckled. “He taught me the different angles that a shot will most likely go off of. So, if they're shooting it in the corner and they miss, it's most likely going to go to the other corner — or it's going to go to the opposite wing area. I didn't realize that. I thought everyone was taught that growing up, so I was just kind of like, ‘Thanks, Dad.’ (At the time) I was annoyed with it, but now I'm so grateful for it.”

So far this season, Learn has grabbed 17, 18 and 19 rebounds in a game. Only 22 players in the country have grabbed at least 20 boards, and Learn says she’d love to join that group.

“It would be nice,” Learn said. “It definitely is a goal of mine to get to 20. I've said this so many times, but if I have 20 rebounds and two points, I will be the happiest girl in the world. If I only have two rebounds and 20 points, I'm going to be like, ‘I could have done so much more in that game.’ Rebounding means so much more to me than scoring.”