With a skill set that defies convention, Boyd is easy to spot because she's always in the midst of the action, whether she's passing or shooting, defending or rebounding or blocking shots. She's 6 foot tall, athletic and has a wingspan that gives her the ability to alter and deflect passes and wreak havoc on opposing offensive attacks.
In fact, she's good at so many things on the court that it has almost become an obstacle for her to overcome, her coach and stepfather Gary Richmond says.
"Shareé is a rare talent," says Richmond, who has seen Boyd mature from a tentative freshman to a team captain and leader this season. "She has raw ability that enables her to do a lot of things on the court. She's good at everything, but has the ability to be great at everything."
Boyd can play — and defend — any of the five positions on the court. She could be a game-changer on defense alone, where her abilities make her a top rebounder and potential lock-down defender. With an average season, she could become the school's all-time record holder in points, rebounds, steals, assists and blocked shots.
For three years, however, her career has taken her toward the top of a building with glass ceilings, and then coasted gingerly around its edges. Richmond says this year should be when she shatters that barrier.
Boyd says she is prepared for the challenge and hoping to rekindle the enormous interest she garnered in recent years from college coaches, an interest that has been ultra-quiet since summer, according to Richmond.
"Shareé has to get better this year," he says. "I think she knows that, and I think she will work hard to do that."
As the Titans try to re-work their identity after the graduation of four mainstays in the program — Hannah Early, Hunter Meakin, Addison Wolfkill and Karoline Summerville — the burden of leadership falls on Boyd.
"My sophomore and junior years, I was the one who had to look up to others," says Boyd, who scored 11 points per game last season and earned all-conference honors. "Now, I have to be the one others look to. It's actually an honor. Now, I'm where those players were the last two years. It's going to be different. I'm ready for this last chance on the court."
The four departed players excelled in the half-court game, with set plays and a controlled pace. Their replacements are vastly different in style, quicker and ready to run. Boyd thinks the up-tempo style and full-court pressure defense will cater more to her game, allowing her to get points in transition and creating scoring opportunities from all over the court.
If last year's team methodically dismantled opponents, Boyd hopes this year's team is more like a hurricane that quickly blows foes out of the gym.
"If people come to watch us, they better be ready for a show," she says. "I believe we can make a run. If we play our game, I think we'll be hard to beat."
