Why Basketball Matters...

As many of you know, I am a dedicated and diehard Women's College Basketball fan. So many people have asked me why I like basketball so much, particularly women's basketball; or they'll comment that "I've got it bad" because my "addiction" is so strong. Basketball has always meant a lot to me, but within the past year or two, I feel I almost owe a debt of gratitude to the sport for saving me from myself (keep reading, you'll see why!).

Growing up in North Carolina, the heart of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the ultimate heart of basketball domination (Duke, UNC and NC State), I was surrounded by the sport from day one. I remember the day my parents bought me a basketball goal for the backyard. I was so excited until a windstorm blew it over and my dreams crashed much like the goal came crashing to the ground. But, thanks to my wonderful neighbor, he had an idea of how to keep it firmly planted in the ground, and to this day, some 25 years later, that goal post is STILL standing -- surviving Hurricane Fran and all! As a youngster, I would play basketball on the lumpy ground surrounding my goal with high aspirations of making it big. I used to pretend I was Bobby Hurley or Christian Laettner (from Duke) or, as I used to call them 'my boyfriends', Chris Corchiani and Tom Gugliotta (from NC State). I NEVER pretended I was a TarHeel, nor did I EVER want to play at UNC -- Chapel Hill was the "bad" territory and you just did NOT go there.

I vividly remember watching games (mens and womens) on television -- ALWAYS ACC games (nothing else mattered); we would even have parties at school during the ACC Tournament -- I was in high Heaven come the month of March! I recall how intently I paid close attention to all NC State Women's Basketball games whenever they would come on TV. Growing up, I absolutely loved, idolized, adored Coach Kay Yow. She was my hero and I wanted to do anything I could to play basketball for her; I used to sit and watch games and I would say "One day, I will play for Coach Yow, one day I will play at Reynolds." When her radio/TV show came on, I would just freeze in place and listen wholeheartedly to everything Coach Yow or Nora Lynn Finch would say, they were my role models and I wanted desperately to learn the sport of basketball well enough to play for the both of them.

But as life so often does, I was thrown a curveball.......

In the Third Grade, I had to have a fairly intense surgery on my right shoulder. I had a birthmark that was the size of a half-dollar which continued growing; it was a pre-cancerous type that had to be removed immediately. When the surgeon began the operation, he realized that, what was thought to be a surface mole, was actually rooted to the base of my shoulder blade. The surgery was quite a bit more extensive than anticipated with multiple layers of stitches. The doctor stated that more than likely I would not be able to play sports due to the location of the scar and for fear that the shoulder may rip apart. Talk about a devastating blow -- my shooting arm is no longer going to be able to shoot; my lifelong dreams are no longer a reality. I was crushed to say the least. Devastated. Heartbroken.

Looking back, I don't know precisely whether the doctor was saying I would not be able to play sports for an extended period of time versus indefinitely. But either way, I just didn't want to risk any more injury. Throughout my school years, I still had to participate in PE classes, but I honestly developed a hatred for PE class. The only time I enjoyed PE was when we could play football, bowling and of course, basketball. Because of my somewhat significant stature, the coaches kept trying to get me to play volleyball and basketball for the school; but how do you explain to them, that you can't play or maybe you have a fear of playing? During PE classes, the girls in PE hated playing me in basketball because I would block all their shots and I also led our entire class in "who could make more three-pointers" (that helped me obtain extra credit points to get a better grade in PE). With my passion for sports lost due to injury, I turned to music -- I learned to play the piano, handbells and started singing. Did I find a new passion? Maybe to some extent but my heart always belonged with basketball.

I still continued to follow basketball, but my intense passion for it had somewhat diminished. I still adored Kay Yow but I also started to become a fan of Pat Summitt and of course, had a strong dislike for UConn Women's Basketball (that has since changed!) I guess you could say I went from an avid fan of basketball to a casual fan. Part of me almost feels that I let the sport down by not continuing to support it even when I couldn't play it. But years later, that would all come full-circle.

One shocking note, I NEVER went to a game at Reynolds, Cameron, Carmichael or anywhere...I NEVER saw Kay Yow actually coach a game in person. I NEVER was able to meet Kay Yow. The only time I ever saw her in person was when I was sitting in the waiting room at a hospital and she and her staff walked in to visit someone. At that very moment, basketball re-entered my life; my world stopped -- my mouth fell wide open and I looked at my Dad and stammered "that's, Coach Yow!" He nodded a reply and I totally had forgotten the reason I was at the hospital in the first place. That was the only time I ever saw her. At that moment, I realized I never lost my passion for the sport, I had just buried it deep within.

Sadly, not long after that, I was sitting in a restaurant and turned to look at the TV when a breaking news statement appeared that Coach Kay Yow had passed away (at the same hospital where I had seen her in). I was horrified. One of my childhood icons had passed away. I lived in regret for weeks, months that I never had been to Reynolds to see her coach. From that day forward, I changed that entirely. My first time inside of Reynolds was for the campus memorial service they had for her; I was back a few days later for my first women's basketball game; I attended her funeral; then I immediately attended every single home game the NC State Women's team had for the remainder of the season, including my first Hoops for Hope game. I determined that while I was not able to have played for her, I would make sure that her legacy was carried out and she would not be forgotten.

During the next few years, the number of games I attended and locations of games dramatically grew. I wasn't necessarily just an NC State or ACC fan anymore (though my heart belongs to the ACC Conference); I was determined to do what I could to help promote the sport and make more people aware of it. During the midst of this entire journey that I began to create, two more tragedies struck me -- I unexpectedly lost my job & a close friend. While neither were basketball related, all this happened close to the start of the 2011-2012 basketball season. I was entering all phases of emotions during this period, experiencing the highs and lows, but mostly the lows. What in the world was I going to do to get out of this funk? is a statement I asked myself repetitively. And then came basketball...it came back with a full-force. I started playing more in the backyard, I started playing one-on-one and I attended more games than I ever could have imagined ... 29 games, 3 states, tournaments galore! To say that basketball saved my life, no, that's not necessarily true. Basketball provided an escape for me. I was able to go to an arena, engross myself in something totally different, which allowed my mind to be distracted from what was going on inside my head. So to an extent, I feel I owe something to the sport of basketball. I turned my back on it many years ago; but it's always there.

We often turn out back on things in our life; but in the end, somewhere deep in the confines of our heart and soul, it will always be rooted. It just takes a few trigger moments to bring it back out. Basketball is only one thing that has done that for me; there have been others.

Currently, I am now a season passholder for all NC State Women's games. I have met some wonderful friends at the games and those friendships I will cherish -- we have a common bond we share. I have had the opportunity to see many great coaches lead their teams to victories, as well as meet quite a few of the coaches themselves. I have been blessed to be able to travel to various arenas to take in different atmospheres of the sport. But I have come to realize that while I do love and dedicate myself to the ACC, I do like many other teams, as well; and surprisingly my dislike for UConn and Geno Auriemma has faded (a big thanks in part goes to Chris Dailey for that). UConn is no longer enemy number one. I do have a few teams that aren't my favorites but for the most part, I enjoy watching all women's basketball games. The biggest highlight over the past few years is that while I never was able to meet Kay Yow, I have met the next best thing in Nora Lynn Finch. She is a wonderful person who has made a big impact on my life from a child to present day. I am honored each time she stops to say hello to me or greets me with a warm hug. She may currently be working for the ACC, but to me, she is still just Nora Lynn. I am so grateful to have gotten to know her better over the past few years; memories I will cherish forever!

So, if you've never been to a women's basketball game, you should go!! You don't have to be a fan; just go to support the school you hold dear to your heart; and go to support a dream of Kay Yow's to grow the sport. Matter of fact, go to a game during the month of February where we are having a lot of "Play4Kay" games with money going to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Find a reason to support your school, conference or just go to support Kay Yow and help her legacy live forever and beyond basketball! Hoops for Hope is coming up February 17th at Reynolds. Come join us as the Wolfpack Women host the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets!