by Kevin Bonner, Sports Media Relations Assistant There are two schools of thought on point guard play. The old school calls for a pass first, shoot second mentality, while the modern point guard is asked to score some points for their team. Like a true team player, Saint Joseph's junior point guard Erin Brady doesn't seem to care which role she has to play - she just wants to win. "I like to score and mix it up, but I'd rather pass," the Weatherly, Pa. native said. "If the team needs me to have assists or points, I'm just looking out for what's best for the team." So far this season, she has done just that. And it seems as Brady goes, so goes the team. In her first eight games, she was scoring at just a 6.1 points per game clip and averaging 4.8 assists per contest. Her shooting was off the mark (37%) as SJU struggled to a 3-5 early record against some stiff competition. But since the Hawk Classic, Saint Joseph's and Brady have been rolling. In leading the team to a 5-1 record in their last six games, Brady has scored nearly 18 points and six assists per contest, while shooting a torrid 62% from the floor. "To come in and play our non-conference schedule, warm up to the team, new coach, everything was very new to me. I think I just needed to get past the adjustment period and I think I'm there," she said. Brady pointed to the Massachusetts game as her best, and not because of her 26 points on 8-of-13 shooting. According to the her, it was the best the team had played all season. During that stretch Brady earned Player of the Week nods from the Atlantic 10 and Big Five. It was an honor that she didn't take lightly. "That was pretty unexpected. Last year, I saw Sue [Moran] and some other players get these awards. It's definitely an honor," she said. As a transfer from American University, Brady was forced to sit out last season due to NCAA regulations. Despite not being able to suit up for the team in games, Brady used last season as a learning experience, taking tips from Moran and point guard Jane Meade. "It was hard to sit out, but I knew it was for a better cause. It gave me a chance to warm up to the team, the coach, the program, the school. It was hard, but it was really great; I wouldn't have traded it for the world," Brady said. "Sue is one of the best players I've ever seen. To watch her, she made everything look so easy. Jane took control of the game. I even told coach, 'I want to be Jane.'" Brady chose American after a stellar career at Marian Catholic where she was named first team all-state and honorable mention All-American. But despite leading the Eagles in 2001 in scoring (11.7), assists (3.2) and steals (2.6), she wasn't happy with the basketball situation. And lucky for the Saint Joseph's faithful, she chose Hawk Hill. "The American of D.C. is the St. Joe's of Philly," Brady said. "I wanted the big city and the distance from family and friends, but the closeness as well." Academically a senior, Brady is on pace to graduate in May with a degree in marketing. With one more year of eligibility, she will return for her senior season in 2003-04 and pursue an MBA. For now though, she's focused on doing whatever the team needs her to do to win the Atlantic 10 and get to the NCAA Tournament. And if the last six games are any indication, expect to see Brady scoring in bunches the rest of the season.