Aug. 26, 2002.
That's the day Jill Noe first walked on ASU's campus as a freshman.
2,012 days, two serious knee injuries, 1,154 points and nearly six seasons later, the senior guard's standout career is finally coming to a close in the coming weeks.
During her time as a Sun Devil, Noe has seen the women's basketball program evolve from one that finished eighth in the Pac-10 and went to the WNIT her freshman year to one that advanced further in the NCAA Tournament than any other team in ASU history when it made the Elite Eight last season.
"It has been a roller coaster," Noe said. "None of the other girls on the team [this year] have gone to the NIT. I feel very lucky to be a part of it all. I wouldn't want to just be a part of the Elite Eight [team]. It's just been so humbling to have gone from the bottom now to the top."
Much like the Sun Devil teams she has been a part of, Noe's personal career has also had its fair share of ups and downs.
But time and time again, Noe has persevered through all the adversity she has faced while at ASU.
"She is so tough," ASU coach Charli Turner Thorne said. "She has basically modeled for the younger players in this program what it is to be a Sun Devil."
Noe came to ASU from Wilsonville High School in Tualatin, Ore., where she was a two-time state champion and Oregon Player of the Year. But some raised questions about how successful she could be in the Pac-10 because her high school was in the Class 3A division and therefore didn't always compete against the best talent in the state.
But Noe silenced those critics when she led the Sun Devils in scoring (12.6 points per game) and made the Pac-10 All-Freshman Team during her first year in Tempe.
"When I was a 3A player [in high school] it was, 'Oh she can never play 4A, oh she'll never get recruited, oh she'll never play in Division I and let alone start,'" Noe said. "Coming out and doing really well my freshman year kind of put a huge smirk on my face saying, 'Ha, I knew I could prove you all wrong, that I can do it.'"
That smirk, however, was quickly erased when Noe tore the anterior cruciate ligament of her left knee just over a month before the 2003-04 season began, which forced her to sit out the entire year.
"I had never really had a substantial injury in high school and so it was all foreign to me when I actually hurt myself the first time," Noe said. "Knowing I would have to sit out a year, I just didn't fathom it."
Noe had surgery on her knee and began rehab, but she hit brick wall when she tore the same ligament again just eight months later and was forced to watch another season from the bench.
"The second time I was like, 'Are you kidding me?'" she said. "I can't really explain to you the feeling. It's one of those things you have to go through to really understand how you feel. It's definitely painful, and it's definitely is a lot of heartache."
Noe could have taken the easy way out, which would have been to hang it up and never pick up a basketball again.
But she didn't quit.
"[That] never even went through my mind for a second," Noe said.
Instead, Noe was mentally ready to go through rehab again immediately after her second surgery.
"I only gave myself one day to feel sorry for myself," she said. "The next day I was like, 'All right, let's get after this. Let's get better and get back on that court.'"
Sitting back and watching as an outsider for two years also gave Noe a new perspective on the game and on life.
"My freshman year I was like, 'I want this, and I want it now,'" she said. "When I hurt myself, I really had to take a step back and be like, 'OK, just be patient, take everything one day a time,' and I think that's what I do now."
Noe regained her health and stepped back on the floor for the first time in two years in 2005. She proceeded to lead the team in 3-point shooting in 2005-06 and 2006-07 and continued to establish herself as an all-around player that could also pass and rebound.
Noe was then granted a sixth year of eligibility in Jan. 2007 after she submitted a letter to the NCAA requesting to play during the 2007-08 season because of her back-to-back season-ending injuries.
"I was extremely grateful that the NCAA allowed me to come back for a sixth year," she said. "I know they have a lot of different things they have to look at, and for them to take the time out and look over a case like mine and actually grant me another year was very rewarding."
This season, Noe is second on the team in scoring (eight points per game) and assists (3.2 per game) and third on the team in rebounds (3.9 per game). She is also the only Sun Devil to start every single game this season.
"The coaches definitely see that they can trust me and that they can count on me to go in and work hard and contribute," Noe said. "I could just go down the line and tell you how many people easily could have taken my spot … so it's an honor."
Noe also reached an important milestone earlier this season when she became just the 18th player in ASU women's basketball history to score 1,000 points.
"It means a lot, I'd be lying if I said that it didn't," Noe said. "If I break any more [records] it will be great, but if not then I know that my time here has been well worth every last second."
At 23 years old, Noe has had to adjust to the growing age gap between her and the younger players, but she has also been able to use her experience to help them improve their games.
"Sometimes I forget that [I'm so much older]," she said. "A freshman will come in and make a mistake and I have to remember that, 'Oh my gosh I'm like 12 years older than this person.' I kind of stepped back and put myself in their shoes and remembered what it was like for me my freshman year."
Turner Thorne said that Noe has taken on a much bigger leadership role for the Sun Devils during her senior season.
"She's more led by example up to this year," she said of Noe in previous season. "[For her] to be able to step up and be more vocal and be empathetic and really constantly be outside of herself no matter what has been just a really awesome transformation to watch."
Noe earned her undergraduate degree in mass communication in December 2006 and plans to return home to Oregon to pursue career options and spend time with her family after this season.
But before returning to the Beaver State, Noe wants to embrace her last days as a Sun Devil and continue to grow in the program that has already taught her so much.
"I've had some highs and lows," she said. "[I've] learned from every mistake, and I'm proud to say I am who I am because of it."
Reach the reporter at: gina.mizell@asu.edu.
