Western Kentucky point guard Whitney Creech (right) looks to pass while defended by UTSA guard Alexus Dukes during WKU’s 78-50 win March 8 during the Conference USA Tournament at The Star in Frisco, Texas.

The spotlight has been on Whitney Creech from the start.

The most prolific scorer in Kentucky high school basketball history came to Western Kentucky with outside expectations that had to be met quickly with the reality of college basketball. Her post-prep career at the halfway point has been defined as a well-rounded role player and not the focal scoring option.

And don’t expect that to change. Don’t expect Creech to start averaging ridiculous figures that made her a national name out of Jenkins a few years ago.

Any question directed to coach Greg Collins about what’s next for Creech is answered the same way.

“We’re just trying to get her to be Whitney Creech,” Collins said. “Just play the way you know how to play and less thinking of what you’re supposed to do and just play the game.”

The junior guard is without question the Lady Toppers’ floor general leading into the season, which officially kicks off against No. 5 Louisville on Tuesday at E.A. Diddle Arena.

Creech started all but one game last season in the point guard role and averaged 26 minutes per game as a sophomore, a substantial jump from her 9.3 minute-average off the bench in 2016-17.

She became a reliable guard who could run Michelle Clark-Heard’s offense with precision, which came easy at times as long as the ball ended up in the hands of either Ivy Brown or Tashia Brown.

Creech finished the year with a 1.73 assist-to-turnover ratio and earned a spot on the Conference USA All-Tournament Team after averaging nine points, 5.7 assists and three rebounds across three tournament games in Frisco, Texas.

Taking the scoring pressure off Creech allowed her to flourish in a new role. The expectation remains the same from her point guard duties.

Collins doesn’t want the offense to run solely through Creech. The fact WKU returns guard experience with senior Sidnee Bopp off the bench, Alexis Brewer with two years of experience at West Virginia and the quick emergence of freshman Meral Abdelgawad relieves some of the duties that Creech would otherwise consider her own.

“It’s a luxury for sure not worrying about having to set up the offense,” Creech said. “I can give it to Alexis, Meral or Sid and they can help initiate the offense. It takes pressure off me and we can go out there, have fun and relax and play the game.”

Collins was instrumental in developing Creech for two years under Heard, who’s now at Cincinnati. Part of his responsibility was molding Creech into more than just someone who scored 5,527 points in eastern Kentucky and averaged 50 points per game as a high school senior.

As a freshman, Creech sat with Collins on the bench and watched Micah Jones and Kendall Noble split point guard roles knowing she would likely inherit that responsibility the next season, a role unlike anything she held in high school.

Creech fulfilled that role to the coaches’ likings for 95 assists against 55 turnovers across 33 games. The 5-foot-8 junior went through a nearly two-month stretch with a .375 shooting percentage or worse, which may have been perceived as a slump. But her shot selection improved as she shot better than .333 in eight of her last 13 games.

In all of that, Creech remained consistent in running the offense without being asked to score. Her comfort in what is now a familiar role could play a big key in WKU’s success this season.

“I don’t think she’s any more versatile than she ever was,” Collins said. “Maybe she’s just getting more comfortable in that role. I don’t know that she’s added versatility more so than maybe added more restrain to make sure she’s doing the right thing and now she’s feeling more confident. She’s the one who wants to go get the ball and make that play.

“Is she perfect? No. She makes mistakes, but now she bounces back quickly and takes coaching great like a kid that wants to be great. We’re glad to have her for two more years.”