DANVILLE (WCIA) — Erin Houpt has two weeks in her hometown left before heading back to Mercer, and the 5-foot-6 guard is spending that time at the gym determined to out work her competition.

“Just get in the gym and work,” Houpt said. “That’s really what will get it done is just putting in the work.”

“She was able to overcome whatever deficiencies come with being smaller than everybody else because she’s always been able to kind of outwork that,” her father Ted said. “She’s been usually the best shooter, dribbler, passer on the court because she has to.”

And there’s no doubt she can shoot. Houpt led the Southern Conference in 3-point field goal percentage, making 40 percent of her shots beyond the arc. She was named the SoCon Freshman of the Year, helping the Bears win both the regular season and conference tournament titles, punching their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

“It was a really cool experience and my coaches trusted me and I think that was a big part of it that they trusted me from the beginning,” Houpt said. “So did my teammates so that helped a lot.”

She wants to pay it forward, by being a vocal leader and helping incoming freshman. With keys to several gyms in Danville, Houpt says this wouldn’t have been possible without the help of her hometown.

“It really means a lot to me,” Houpt said. “Like I am very fortunate to have the people that I have here and there’s also been a lot of great players and I think it’s cool to watch them and be able to follow them and hopefully that people will follow me.”