Never looking for the easy way out, Divine Tanks is reaping the benefits of staying put.

The junior out of Barbe High says she went to McNeese State in part to give back to her home town. She stayed after hurricanes, a pandemic and a coaching change to give back even more.

“I wanted to help give this city something to cheer about, hopefully a championship,” Tanks said.

Before she could do that the 6-foot-1 forward had to suffer through a preseason of hard work like never before. All the running has led to big things for Tanks.

“This was a big adjustment,” she said. “I have never run so much before. It was hard but once we got in shape I feel so much better in games. It’s great.”

What has benefited the most is her play. Forced by injuries to be the only real consistent inside presence for the Cowgirls, Tanks has found a new level of intensity this season.

“I have always been a post player and I like getting down and dirty and do the gritty things,” Tanks said.

Her coach has taken notice.

“Divine gives us great energy,” said first-year McNeese head coach Lynn Kennedy. “As a rebounder her intensity and energy flies out of the gym.”

But Tanks is more than just energy for McNeese. She leads the Cowgirls in rebounds at 7.7 a game while averaging 6.6 points an outing.

Last Saturday, in a win over Northwestern State, Tanks hit all four of her shots from the floor and was 4 of 4 from the free throw line. She finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds in 20 minutes of work while controlling the paint.

“Divine had a great game,” Kennedy said. “She has been playing great the last couple of weeks. When she plays like that we can beat anybody.

“She has all the skill sets. It is a matter of her wanting to go out and be one of the best post players in the league. She can be that.”

Tanks was a preseason all-Southland Conference pick but her game is completely different this season. It is much more aggressive. She gives that credit to the coaching change.

“Coach has given me a green light and opened a door to my game,” Tanks said. “That helped boost my confidence. I just feel more free and confident and I think that shows.”

As for why she stayed when others left the program, Tanks was quick to answer.

“This was an opportunity to start something new,” she said. “And it would be great to give a championship to the city.”