My Career Recap

I saw recently a post a friend made, recapping her career. Number one, loved it. Number two, it encouraged me to go ahead and do the same seeing the power in processing the years of jumping from team to team, country to country, job to job. I think writing it down helps to integrate it all!

Not saying it’s over! Just a summary of my career so far…

College – University of Tennessee

Started 4 years for Pat Summit. Won a National Championship. Played in front of an average of over 14,000 fans for home games. Hung out with nature lots, fell in love with the Smoky Mountains, the different seasons and beauty in Tennessee and the South (much different from Spokane, WA where I grew up). Learned the language of the south, even picked up a slight accent and kept “ya’ll” in my vocabulary. Figured out how to get on the roof of my stadium, went often. Found pretty much every good spot with a sunset. Hopped trains. Hung out with the homeless. Ate lots of BBQ ribs, etc.

Pro Year 1 – WNBA Chicago Sky and Netanya, Israel

Unaware my coach entered me into the draft until I got congrats messages while studying at a bakery. Made the team in Chicago, was cut a couple months later after an over use stress fracture injury, came back too early, reinjured it. Went to Netanya, Israel half way through the season. Amazing country! But was robbed my second day there, our entire house of four American players were all robbed too. All they left me in the house was my journal and bible (which made me laugh being in Israel with only my bible and journal) I did the “flip and stop” in my bible right away, and the verse I randomly landed on was the one about “if anyone wants to steal from you or take your shirt, give to him your coat as well.. and don’t turn away anyone who wants to borrow from you.” (God has jokes). So thankful I had my teammates, living with me through it all, or I probably wouldn’t have slept one night living by myself that year. Hard times experienced with others that are with you and have your back vs experiencing hard times alone makes a huge difference. Overall, I enjoyed my first season overseas, loved how it opened my eyes to new cultures. People are so amazing and different everywhere you go.

Pro Year 2 – Perpignan, France

Loved my teammates! So thankful for the local players and other foreigners on the team, they took me in like family. And also, first time living alone, which was nice, but a difficult adjustment (got that “life overseas loneliness” that so many athletes go through playing). What helped was finding some rugby friends, we had dinners and hung out often, along with my other teammates. This is always a game changer for me, finding a good group while overseas.

It was the first year our team was in the top division in France and we made it to the semi finals, had some rookie players that ended up being stars in France and other countries. Played for my forever favorite coach overseas, Francois Gomez. And also for a club that they eventually found out was mafia, laundering money through the team (always wondered why the papers I signed for my salary were slightly off from my paycheck haha). Didn’t get paid towards the end (same as in Israel), but with a great agent like Boris, eventually got all my money a year later. Ps… showed up to Perpignan and they gave me a skirt for a jersey. I said no. Francios the next day wore the skirt for an entire practice and said if I can do it, you can do it! We made a team vote and agreed to one game in a skirt, shorts for the rest of season (negotiation 101).

Retirement #1 – DOBO at Santa Clara University

Loneliness kicked in a little too much, ended up quitting basketball to go back home and take a shot at my other dream, coaching college basketball. Started out as the Director of Basketball Operations for the Santa Clara Women’s Basketball Team. Was so interesting that first year on a coaching staff. I realized at the end of games coaches get together and complain about the players, just like players get together and complain about coaches (this made me laugh). I loved our staff, but we all ended up getting fired that year. Enjoyed living in California, always packed my car up for off days to go to Santa Cruz to skimboard and have beach bonfires.

Graduate Assistant at University of Idaho

I realized that I love coaching the youth more than college. And took the next step towards that goal, getting my masters in Sport Psychology so I can train kids in mental skills as well. The mental side of the game was always key for me playing, and wanted to learn more about it. Worked for University of Idaho as a Graduate Assistant and as the team’s Sport Psychologist. I also worked with a number of others athletes in different sports, including the Tennis team’s Sport psychologist for a season.

Basketball Training and Sport Psychology for Youth Athletes

Moved to Boise Idaho after finishing my degree, where I trained individuals and teams ages 10-18. I always did camps in the summers over the years for kids, but took a shot at it full time. I added mental skills training with the basketball training, and loved the combo and working with younger athletes!

Pro Year 3/4 – Tarbes, France

My old coach, Francios reached out to me part way through his season, asking if I knew any shooting guards. My friend Abby Bishop, who I played with in Perpignan, was on the team and I joked with her saying “should I just say me?” We laughed, because I hadn’t trained or played basketball in 3.5 years. She said “quick go dribble a ball and see if you bounce it off your leg!” I never got the chance to really explore Europe and thought this could be a good chance. I could play half the season and go backpack Europe after. So I told the coach, how about me! He asked if I’ve been playing, I said oh yea, sure! So he took me on, and 2 weeks later I was back in Europe.

Playing after so many years off, was so much fun! Everyone was shocked how happy I was playing, I was even shocked. If you are burnt out of hooping go get a 9-5 job and you will come back very happy to run up and down the court chasing a ball around again. It didn’t take long for the culture of pro sports to suck you back into the drama of it all. I started bitching with the rest of them within 3 months. And I even signed a 2nd year contract for Tarbes (money sucks you in). However, I did do 2 months of backpacking Europe after the season, before training for the next season.

Year 2 at Tarbes….

Loved this season! The best on the court experience. We took a nearly last place team to the championship, losing in the finals. I have to say, there is nothing like having team chemistry off the court AND on the court, mixed with a coach that insists you don’t stress yourself about basketball to the point of a heart attack (rare mix).

Pro Year 5 – Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France

Stressing myself to a heart attack was back. Moving on to a Euro League team in France where I had great people, enjoyed hanging out with them all, even if we struggle lots playing (losing season) and only played about 10-15 mins per game. Northern France and being close to Belgium had a different vibe, I liked it a lot. Ate lots of French fries, waffles, and soaked up the more peaceful, sleepy town they put the players in (woke up to a rooster every morning). Plus, we were a 10 minute train ride to a bigger city, Lille, France. Great experience traveling to other countries to play and was treated the most professional while playing on a team overseas.

Pro Year 6 – San Martino di Lupari, Italy

Took a pay cut to experience the Italian lifestyle. Always wanted to play in Italy, and landed in the most beautiful spot tucked between Venice and the Dolomites Mountains. Learned all about northern Italy pizza, spritz, and grappa. My teammates from Italy took me in like family, having me over for lunch, and even had homemade meatballs from a teammate’s Nonna. I’m not sure if it’s like this everywhere in Italy, but it felt like a family there. It was Covid year, so our season got cut early even though we were killing it! Had some money issues with the club, but let it slide knowing the entire economy is getting hit with Covid. Ps…there is nothing like Dolomite Mountain Spas!

Pro Year 7/8 – Gernika, Spain

Two years in Euro Cup, again enjoyed traveling to different countries to play. Spanish lifestyle is one of a kind, and I am still learning that every region is so different. I packed no coats, thinking Spain is the “sunny country,” little did I know the Basque region is so green and beautiful because it rains all winter (like Seattle). Year one was still Covid, and I am so thankful I landed in a spot with incredible teammates, we got together a couple times a week or more to hang out, making Covid a lot less lonely. Most fun season off the court.

Year 2 in Gernika I had many of the same teammates and we achieved the same goals for the second season. Only downside of Spain (or maybe just in Gernika) is that I was treated the least like a professional adult, and more like a high school kid as far as the coaches go, trying to control what you do off and on the court with little trust and autonomy given (for example, if I want to travel or go somewhere after a game, they needed to know details, they made comments on players diets, etc and they limited my game and my role more than anywhere I’ve played). The tactics in Spain are incredible! Most scouting and systematic training I’ve done, I learned so much if I ever do want to coach a team! These Spanish players are SMART! PS… this region of Spain is so beautiful! Living 15 mins from the beach with these green rolling mountains was a mix of all the things I love in nature.

Retirement #2 – Coaching kids in Spain

Every season I played since retirement #1 I would say “this is my last year.” Somehow my one season comeback to just backpack Europe turned into 6 years of playing (thankful for the experiences). What almost no one knows is that what gave me my final push to quit was dabbling in astrology (makes me laugh now thinking about it!) I found this astrologist while listening to a podcast, who sounded legit! So I decided to give it a try. She immediately knew pretty much everything about me, which got my attention, and said if I went back to playing ever, I would not like my team situation, and an injury would end my career (which eventually happened). And she said instead, once I decided to finally retire, it would catapult me into the next season of life, meeting people that I would team up with for my next career (which I hope will happen). It was just the push I needed to quit basketball. So why not!

I quit basketball but stayed in Gernika and coached a 6 month basketball academy for kids. I fell back in love with the sport! It stirred a passion in me that I forgot I had. Still able to teach them mental skills to support them off and on the court. I also used this year to take another Sport Psychology course, and an 8 month ICF accredited Somatic Life Coaching certification course as well. My life changed this year, and I loved it. Facilitating clients of all ages in body-oriented life coaching practices, and learning about somatics that pairs so well with psychology.

Pro Year 9 – Gernika, Spain and Barcelona, Spain

Getting my residency in Spain and being able to play as a spanish player made it all too easy to say yes to playing again. I missed working with a team, which I now know is something I value and will look for in other jobs — working with like minded people on a passion project. The key for me saying yes to playing was still being able to coach my academy during the season. First weeks in, I fought with the club on a difficult situation, and had to quit. From there, I went to Barcelona to play, got injured a month later, ending my season completely. The plus was, when I was healed up enough to walk, I did a camp in Gernika, and had a great time.

Now …potential pro year 10? Potential retirement #3? Let’s see! Still coming back from my injury! Coaching kids will always be in the mix!

Overall

If I learned one thing, it’s that I plan, I have an idea of what I am going to do, and 10/10 life comes up with something different, even better. To the point that it seems like the only purpose in the planning is the sense of security it gives me, as well as a vision to move towards. Only difference now is that I hold those plans a little more loosely and keep an open heart, and open mind to opportunities.

If you got this far, probably my longest post ever, thanks for reading my career story! I would love to hear yours! Everyone’s story (including my friend’s post on her career) is so unique and has so many lessons and is so interesting to me, I would love to hear them all!