Amy Bratvold has set the standard for area girls basketball players: she excelled as a fixture of the Twin Falls High School program, became an off-and-on starter for the College of Southern Idaho women's team and then a Division I player for the Eastern Washington University Eagles.

Following her final game as a Golden Eagle in 2007, CSI head coach Randy Rogers said, "(Bratvold) shows that local kids can play. Her legacy is that it can happen."

Bratvold, who is majoring in exercise science and looks forward to a career as a physical therapist, ended her college basketball career on March 7 when Eastern Washington dropped its final game and failed to make the Big Sky Conference tournament. She took a few minutes this past week to talk about her collegiate experiences with the Times-News.

Times-News: Overall - CSI and Eastern Washington - how would you describe your college career?

Amy Bratvold: I'm glad I went to a junior college first, and then stepped up to Division I. I enjoyed playing at CSI and being at home and around family. Also, it was good to grow up and get away and play D-I and play with better athletes. My grandparents live in Coeur d'Alene, which is 45 minutes away, and I have family in Sacramento, so a lot of family came to games. It was really important to me.

T-N: Was it difficult to remain enthusiastic about playing Division I when playing for a struggling team after enjoying success at CSI?

AB: Yes. During high school we were successful and then at CSI. … We had a lot of struggles these past two years. But I grew as a person and learned a lot about coming through adversity. Last year, we didn't do so good, but this year we did really well and almost made the tournament. We were showing up, working hard and getting better every day. The coaches kept believing and the team stuck together during some hard times. We struggled on the court, but we were there as a team and enjoyed each other's company.

T-N: What will you remember most about college basketball?

AB: I really miss playing at CSI. The community is really involved, and having family there and friends … I miss that overall college experience. Here at Eastern, we had some crazy road trips. We were delayed on flights or the bus got snowed in - just crazy road trips. We'd be stuck on a bus all day, but still playing games and having fun.

T-N: What does life after college hold for you?

AB: I've gone back and forth. This is my plan right now: I graduate in the summer, then I'm going to Oklahoma to Cameron University and become a graduate assistant to my old coach at Eastern (Tom Webb). Tera Tremanye is on the team there. I enjoyed playing for coach Webb, and I'm looking forward to that opportunity.