The game within the game: BGSU point guard Paige Kohler’s psychology of winning

The Falcons’ leading scorer has been a model student-athlete during her time at the University

During her time at Bowling Green State University, Paige Kohler has found over and over again that there is much more to success than just 40 minutes on the court.

Long before the Falcons’ point guard ever pirouettes through defenders or sets up a teammate with a pinpoint pass on gameday, she devotes significant time and energy to the mental side of Division I athletics. 

A gifted player who leads the Falcons in scoring, assists and minutes played, Kohler is a psychology major who has been the portrait of a well-rounded athlete during her time at BGSU.

Kohler said she’s fascinated by team dynamics – not just the skill development of players, but a broad-scale understanding of what motivates individuals to contribute to team success – and has aspirations to stay in the game as a coach when her playing days are finished.

“With my love of the game and love for sports in general, I knew that I was never going to be able to totally let go,” she said. “I think psychology and coaching go hand-in-hand. If you know how your players function and how to motivate them, that makes you a better coach.”

Since enrolling at BGSU in 2023, Kohler proved to be an instant-impact player. 

She has started every game since her freshman season and ranks in the program’s all-time top-10 in points per game, 3-pointers per game, and assists per game, and she recently surpassed 1,000 career points.

Her success has gone beyond the court, as she met the demands of Division I basketball while also working ahead of schedule on her undergraduate degree in psychology, which she is on track to receive after three years.

Midway through her junior season, Kohler is already underway on a master’s in business administration and is on track to earn two degrees in her four years.

While many of Kohler’s on-court skills are apparent – court vision, stamina and quickness among them – she’s a big believer in success being a product of mental resilience in the face of the never-ending challenges of competition.

“You have to have the skill set for basketball and be physically capable to do certain things, but a lot of the game is being able to work hard through adversity,” Kohler said. “You have to have in your head that you’re not as tired as the person you’re playing against, that it doesn’t matter how tired you are because you need to put this aside to win. It’s a type of competitiveness that is all mental.” 

Choosing a rigorous major to pair with a Division I sport has its challenges, though Kohler said studying psychology has been a natural fit with team sports.

College athletics has more extrinsic motivators than ever before – athletes contend with name, image and likeness deals, direct praise or criticism through social media platforms and games widely available through streaming platforms – but Kohler said simple intrinsic motivators like improving every day continue to fuel her success. 

As one of the best players in the Mid-American Conference, Kohler said she has seen patterns within basketball: Improvement is often correlated to confidence, and confidence isn’t built quickly or easily.

“A lot of confidence comes from the mental side of the game,” she said. “You can breed confidence through the physical abilities that you have – shooting or scoring or whatever you do well – but if you don’t believe in yourself mentally, success usually isn’t going to happen.”

As the Falcons chase a sixth consecutive winning season, Kohler said she’s grateful for the opportunity to pursue the college experience she hoped to have.

Kohler said she wanted to make the most of her four years as a Division I player, and she’s been able to do so in a BGSU setting that prioritizes student-athlete success.

“Having a support system around you that knows you’re able to do it gives you so much confidence,” she said. “I wanted to go with the major that I loved in college, and I had a great support system from my family and at Bowling Green that helped give me the confidence to know that I could do it.”