Danyel Crutcher might be from Orange, N.J., but ever since she was a 5-year-old, she’s wanted to see a lot more blue.

For instance, a blue sky.

The 6-foot-2 junior forward on the women’s basketball team wants to be a pilot and has full-fledged support from head coach Theresa Grentz.

“She made that perfectly clear when we recruited her that (becoming a pilot) was in her interests,” Grentz said. “This is the avenue that she wanted to pursue.”

Aside from Crutcher’s love for fantastic views from up in the clouds, she also has a passion for soaring low on the court. She is an accomplished junior forward who played in all 31 games last year and who has started all 20 this year.

“Danyel is a player,” Grentz said. “She has great hands. She will mix it up if she has to, and she won’t shy away from competition or contact.”

Her team-leading 7.6 rebounds per game is an indication that she indeed does not shy away from contact. For Crutcher’s often unflashy play, she displays a high level of skill. Crutcher averages 9.3 points per game and shoots a respectable 81 percent from the free-throw line.

After finishing a big game on Sunday, where she had a double-double against Northwestern (10 points and 12 rebounds, along with a team-leading four assists), Crutcher fielded her share of questions at the press conference. Most take it seriously; Crutcher was having fun with the journalists.

When asked if she had any chemistry with fellow starter Jenna Smith, she gave answers such as “we have a little bit” (there is a lot of chemistry) and “(it) might be a left-handed thing.” Crutcher also joked that a reason Smith is a strong player must be attributed to what her mother fed her in Minnesota.

As soft, concealed laughter was making its way around the room, Crutcher was asked another question regarding her smooth play that day.

“I’m happy it looked smooth to you guys,” she responded.

As an unquestioned vocal leader, Crutcher uses different techniques, whether they are comic relief or conveying an intense attitude, to get through to her teammates.

“It’s about being vocal,” Crutcher said. “Encouraging my teammates. … I try to work in a positive manner. I try to feel for everybody’s personality and work with (them).”

Crutcher’s propensity for showing empathy toward teammates and responding to them in an appropriate manner is a big reason why she won the team’s “Best Attitude Award” for last year’s campaign.

She won the identical award two seasons ago, too.

“Danyel has a great personality, and we all know that,” Grentz said. “We love her. She enjoys people, people enjoy her and she’s a competitor. It’s just fun to have her with us.”

Toward the beginning of her sophomore year of high school Crutcher was announced as her team’s co-captain. Her high school coach told her that she had the personality, that her teammates looked up to her and that she had potential to be a great leader. Crutcher believes that she has been a leader ever since.

The advice her high school coach gave her was taken literally and applied strongly at Illinois.

“(The Illini) need to get fiery through the game and get ready to play,” Crutcher said. “I try to lead (my teammates) on with that, get hyped, start pushing people around.”

As a freshman, Smith looks up to Crutcher and appreciates everything that she does.

“She cares a whole bunch about us,” Smith said. “She’ll pick you up. She’ll do anything for you to make sure you’re happy. She has that heart that nobody has. She has that positive energy, that effort that nobody has.”

And because Crutcher is committing major time to making others happy, along with helping out a highly acclaimed athletic program at Illinois, she is putting her aviation dreams on hold.

“I am going to take a break for a while because I probably won’t graduate on time (if she were to pursue aviation during the school year) … because it’s going to conflict with my major courses, community health,” Crutcher said.

Crutcher is not disappointed, though, with pursuing basketball and a different major because she has established wonderful relationships with teammates. And make no mistake about it, Crutcher wants to become a pilot and plans on pursuing her goal after college. She took an aviation course last summer.

“I just like it when you’re above the clouds,” Crutcher said. “I love the scenery. I feel like it’s the most peaceful place.”

Crutcher is not the type of person to boast about an accomplishment – like being the first player in Orange (N.J.) High School history to score 1,000 points and grab 1,000 boards – but she’ll open up about teammates, personalities and what she truly values.

Grentz understands.

“And I’ve always been a proponent of, ‘(If) that’s what they want, let them follow their dreams,'” Grentz said. “That’s exactly what she’s doing.”