"Best Shape Of Her Life": Work Paying Off For Bailey

Lots of people took on pandemic projects. Janelle Bailey's was remaking her body.

Starting last May, Bailey, a center for the North Carolina women's basketball team, focused on her diet and conditioning to drop 25 pounds from her 6-4 frame ahead of her senior season. She took on the work with an eye to her final year as a Tar Heel but also to her pro basketball aspirations after she leaves Chapel Hill. "I definitely have the WNBA in mind," she said. "Every year I've wanted to find something new to improve in my game and I used to focus on different offensive things, but focusing on my diet really made a difference. Losing weight really changed so many things in my game and impacted all the other aspects I've tried to improve in."

Her efforts are showing up on the court. Nine games into the season, Bailey leads the Tar Heels in scoring (14.2) and rebounding (8.8) and on Dec. 21 was named Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week. It's the first honor of the season and the third of her career for Bailey, who is averaging a double-double in ACC play with 17.3 points and 10.3 rebound in four conference outings. A preseason All-ACC pick, she has started all nine games for the Tar Heels, who are 7-2 overall and 2-2 in conference play heading into their game on Tuesday at Louisville.

"Janelle is in the best shape of her life," UNC coach Courtney Banghart said. "She's much more mobile this year and has the athleticism and quickness to defend on the perimeter. Offensively I think she's starting to find her face-up game – her game is actually more of a finesse game with a power element versus just being just a power player. And she's leading a young team, not just in age but in experience. She's been patient with her teammates and I appreciate that."

Bailey can feel the difference in her stamina in games and during practices. As she became fitter she also worked on her running mechanics, opening up her stride, which has helped her run the court better. "I wanted to become faster and move better laterally," she said. "You need to be able to score as a four or five but if you can't also defend, that offense is cancelled out."

Her eating plan, which she started right after her 21^st birthday in May, eliminated heavy meals in favor of clean eating and lots of veggies, even at breakfast. "I love omelets, but before it would be meat and cheese," she said. "Now it's two or three eggs with veggies like spinach and tomatoes, maybe a little meat." Lunch and dinner both include lots of veggies while never skimping on protein. "An important thing in all of this is that I didn't want to lose muscle," Bailey said. "I'm a strong player and think it's the biggest asset to my game. A lot of posts are agile and can move and I wanted to add that while still maintaining my strength."

One key: she started cooking more, with turkey burgers her favorite thing to make. Another crucial piece was hydration and making sure she was drinking enough water. "Increasing my water intake was huge," she said. "I rarely drink anything but water now. Not being fully hydrated was holding me back as well and now I know how important that is."

After about three months she hit her goal and now tries to maintain a healthy diet through her new habits. "My appetite really changed," she said. "I changed my eating habits and portions. Even now when we get food after practice, I don't eat as much.

"But I also didn't ever want to be too hard on myself – if I have a burger or something I really want, I don't get mad at myself. One meal Is not going to mess everything up. If I have something that's not the best, I just go back to normal after that."

In creating a new normal for herself, she continues to establish her game as anything but. She ranks among the NCAA Division I active career leaders in scoring, rebounding and double-doubles. With seven more rebounds, she'll become the 10^th player in program history to pass 1,500 points and 900 rebounds. After that, she'll be on track to become just the sixth Tar Heel to pass 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds.

"I think the hard work shows," Bailey said. "I want to continue to improve and be known as a tough post player who can do multiple things. I'm really excited for this year and my role in being a good leader for a really young team. As far as my game, I just want to let my hard work speak for itself."

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