The last time that Tiera Stephen stepped on a college basketball court, it was as the starting point guard for Louisville in the NCAA national championship game against Connecticut.

The next time she plays will be as a Wisconsin Badger.

Stephen, a 5-foot-7 freshman from Dayton, Ohio, announced earlier this month that she intended to leave the Louisville program. Wednesday she told UW coach Lisa Stone that she would transfer to Wisconsin.

Stephen will have to sit out next season and then will have three years of eligibility remaining.

Stephen played in 37 games at Louisville, starting 10 times. She averaged about 10 minutes per game, scoring an average of 0.9 points for the Cardinals, who finished with a 34-5 record with three of those losses coming to UConn. Although she started the title game, she played just four minutes.

Why would a player leave a national powerhouse team to go to a program that hasn't been to the NCAA Tournament since 2002, hasn't won a tournament game since 1996 and has never advanced beyond the second round?

Stephen said the decision to leave Louisville came after a post-season meeting with coach Jeff Walz.

"It was a decision me and my coach made for me to move on and find a better fit," said Stephen. "Everybody was surprised. I don't regret it. It was stressful at first, but now that I picked Wisconsin, it's a big relief.

"I've gone through a transition as far as school. At first I went to school for basketball; but now I'm going more for education. I'm just relieved and happy that I'm going to be able to play and get my degree from a place like Wisconsin. I look at this whole thing like it was a blessing."

Stephen, who was recruited by Wisconsin when she was coming out of Chaminade-Julienne Catholic High School in Dayton, said she chose the Badgers this time after also looking at Iowa, Boston College, Wake Forest and Morehead State, among others.

"One of the first schools that came back to mind was Wisconsin because they recruited me so hard out of high school," said Stephen. "So I decided to give them a call and see how things were going. Then I found out they're graduating two point guards (Rae Lin D'Alie and Teah Gant) the year I'd be able to play, so that was good."

Stephen is one of two freshmen to leave Louisville, along with Mary Jackson.

"Mary and Tiera did a great job of helping us reach the national championship game this season," said Walz at the time. "They are both exceptional young women and we wish them nothing but the best in their future endeavors. We had an amazing season and they will have the memories of playing for a national championship their freshman season."

Stephen said she hopes to bring to Wisconsin some of the lessons learned in her year at Louisville playing alongside players like first-team All-American Angel McCoughtry.

"It took hard work and perseverance and believing in ourselves, because nobody thought we could make it that far but us," she said. "I feel like I've been to the top, even though we didn't win the championship game. So it will be good going to Wisconsin and help a building program try to get that same feeling I had. It's about bringing a school up and trying my best to help carry a school to get back there."

Stephen said she was encouraged that the UW coaches talked about playing more of an up-tempo style of game than they've played in the recent past.

"When I was talking to Wisconsin, one of the big drawbacks was the style of play in the Big Ten," she said. "I know in the past Wisconsin has wanted to slow the ball down, but the coaches said that the point guard gets to dictate the tempo and you just have to know when to slow the ball down and when to push it. I'm not saying we're going to change the pace, but they did say we're going to try to speed it up a little more and that's the pace I like to play."

Steve Sanders, who coached Stephen for two years with the Cincinnati Finest AAU team, said she will provide some welcome athleticism to the Badgers.

"Tiera is a great kid," Sanders said. "She's a great on the ball defender, very athletic and just an outstanding kid. I think she'll do very well at Wisconsin. The Big Ten is becoming so much more athletic with what Ohio State is doing and how Purdue is playing. I think Tiera is the type of player that will allow them to match up with the more athletic teams.

"I just can't say enough about her. I think it's a huge get for Wisconsin to bring in a player like that who's coming from a very good program in Louisville and bringing that athleticism that they're going to need to keep up with the teams like Ohio State and Purdue."

As a high school senior Stephen averaged 12 points, seven rebounds and eight assists and was ranked No. 13 among point guards and No. 70 overall in her class by ESPN HoopGurlz.

Stephen is the third player committed to join the program for the 2010-11 season, joining 5-10 guard Morgan Paige of Marion, Iowa, and 6-0 forward/guard Jada Buggs of Elkhart, Ind. The Badgers are hoping to add two more players to the class with the top targets believed to be 6-1 forward Tricia Liston from Fenwich High School in Oak Park, Ill., 6-6 center Nicole Griffin of Milwaukee Vincent and 6-4 center/forward Cassie Rochel of Lakeville (Minn.) North.

Stephen plans to attend summer school at the UW and begin working out with her new teammates. She will practice with the team next season.

"I want to get to know the players and build relationships with them," said Stephen. "That's the hardest thing right now, leaving my teammates at Louisville, because we were really close. I talk to Louisville girls every day. I don't know any of the Wisconsin girls, so that's one of the things I have to do, build a relationship with my teammates.

"It's been kind of as stressful experience, but a really good friend of mine always told me that when a cat is thrown in the air it twists and turns all different ways but it always ends on its feet. It was traumatic at times but I take it as more of a test of my faith. I've reached the mountain and then it seemed like I was real low, but I'm still standing. And I'm still smiling."

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