The first time around, Sahar Nusseibeh narrowly missed her opportunity.
Then an assistant coach at Miami of Ohio, Nusseibeh was part of one of 15 NCAA Division I programs to offer Bethel Park standout guard Olivia Westphal a full scholarship during a sensational 2020 junior season, which saw her Black Hawks finish as WPIAL runners-up before advancing to the PIAA quarterfinals.
Although Westphal would ultimately choose Duquesne, she gave Nusseibeh another opportunity a couple of years later.
Westphal entered the transfer portal in 2022 after two seasons at Duquesne, and Nusseibeh — then head coach at Canisius in Buffalo, N.Y. — took notice.
“I’ve known Liv, and I’ve known the player she is because I watched her in AAU, I watched her in high school,” Nusseibeh said. “I actually recruited her when I was at Miami, and, when I was at my previous school, we tried to get her out of the portal.”
As it turned out, the third time would be the charm.
Nusseibeh took over the Eastern Michigan women’s basketball program before the start of this season. Waiting for her in Ypsilanti, Mich., was Westphal, who had transferred to the Mid-American Conference program from Duquesne a year earlier.
“She ended up here, and I was like, ‘Man, Eastern got a good one,’” Nusseibeh recalled of Westphal’s transfer decision. “I was excited for her coming here, and of course it works out where I get to coach her now, and that was really neat.”
Westphal has blossomed into one of the MAC’s top 3-pointer shooters this season, her first as a full-time starter at the Division I level. The 5-foot-9 redshirt junior is second in the conference with an average of 2.4 made 3-pointers a game, which is just behind the 2.6 average of Kent State’s Mya Babbitt.
“I think she just went in saying, ‘Hey, I’m going to do my job,’” Nusseibeh said. “We went in as a staff saying, ‘Hey, we need you to do your job,’ and that’s exactly what she’s been doing. I think it’s really neat to see how when you just focus on doing your job, how you can have a ton of success and exceed any expectations that we may or may not have had.”
After averaging just 3.6 points per game and shooting 24% from 3-point range coming off the bench in her first campaign at Eastern Michigan a year ago, Westphal has started 14 of the Eagles 15 games this season. She is averaging 8.9 points per contest and is making 36% of her shots from beyond the 3-point arc.
Westphal’s 33 3-pointers put her second in the MAC behind only Babbitt’s 45 through 17 contests.
“I love to shoot the ball,” Westphal said. “I’m pretty comfortable. In high school I was a big shooter. I was known as a shooter coming into college, so I’m liking my role a lot.”
Westphal is Eastern Michigan’s third-leading scorer behind junior forward Sisi Eleko, who is averaging 19.6 points per game, and graduate student guard Mackenzie Amalia. The Blackhawk graduate is averaging 9.7 points per game with a team-leading 78 assists, which is second in the MAC behind Ball State guard Ally Becki’s 97.
“Coming into the transfer portal, my confidence wasn’t super high,” Westphal said. “Last year was a big confidence buildup for me. Me getting into the starting lineup [this year] I did not expect it. Big credit to my team, my coaches, for finding me the open looks and getting me the ball.”
After taking a redshirt season to begin her career at Duquesne, Westphal averaged 1.3 points per game and made 6-of-16 3-point attempts in her one season coming off the bench for the Dukes.
Westphal, though, found a home away from home at Eastern Michigan.
“I went to Duquesne, which was 20 minutes from my house,” she said. “I was very comfortable, and entering the transfer portal, you never know who is going to reach out, where you’re going to go and how far you’re going to go. I think my biggest thing was I was always very comfortable and I needed to step out of my comfort zone.”
Westphal said she immediately jelled with Eastern Michigan’s coaching staff and her teammates. She added that the system Nusseibeh runs with the Eagles benefits her perfectly.
“Lots of shooting, coming off screens, working within our new system for our coaches, basically it’s just getting my shot off quick,” Westphal said. “The MAC is a tough conference, so having a quick trigger, that’s a big important thing.”
Nusseibeh said Westphal’s confidence this season has been apparent from the beginning of preseason workouts.
“I think from day one, Olivia seemed really excited and open to our entire staff and what we were trying do and what we are trying to do here as a program,” Nusseibeh said. “The first thing I noticed about Olivia was just her willingness to embrace change and being open to that and wanting that.”
While Westphal’s intelligence has also been apparent, Nusseibeh said her player’s ability to operate more instinctively on the court this year has paid dividends.
“We don’t have to think through everything, sometimes, just play,” Nusseibeh said. “I think that’s been something she’s grown in where it’s less thinking and more doing, and I think that’s allowed her to be met with more success on the court this year, which has been really cool to see.”
And the future is bright for Westphal.
“She’s not just a shooter, that’s the biggest thing,” Nusseibeh said. “I remember watching that girl in AAU and high school, and she was swaggy. She could shoot the 3. She could get downhill. She had multiple levels to her game. Sometimes college pigeonholes people, it can box you up, ‘Hey this is what you are. This is what we need.’
“If you’ve got a three-level scorer, that’s really hard to defend,” Nusseibeh added. “I want to see that, and I just want to see her enjoy it.”
Although Eastern Michigan (1-14, 0-5) is in the middle of a rebuild, Westphal said she has high expectations for herself and her program moving forward.
“We’re kind of struggling right now, but we are putting things together to get more wins,” Westphal said. “My biggest thing is I love to win. Hopefully winning a MAC, that’s my end-all goal.”
With another year of NCAA eligibility remaining, Nusseibeh said she is excited to rebuild her program with Westphal playing a significant role this season and beyond.
“It’s all within her control,” Nusseibeh said. “I think as coaches we can believe all those things, but it’s got to stem from them. I think that a really exciting opportunity for Liv is for her to believe that and live that out.
“If you believe it and you live it out every day, it happens.”
John is a copy editor and page designer at the Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at jsanta@unionprogress.com.