The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Why Texas by Gale Valley
06.22.2010 | Women's Basketball
June 22, 2010
I love burnt orange. I always thought I'd look really great in burnt orange, and now I get to wear it every day.
The University of Texas has such a great, storied tradition of women's basketball. Certainly, everybody in the country holds Texas as the gold standard in our sport. The opportunity to come here and be a Longhorn was just something I couldn't turn down.
Basketball is my passion, ever since I was a little kid. The older I got, the more it grew. My brother and I actually built up a huge mound of snow by the basket that was in our driveway one winter in Michigan, so we could dunk the basketball. That's been my one and only dunking experience in my life.
My favorite part of the game is working with young people. How blessed am I to have that chance, and have a job that I love so much? Working with young people is awesome. It's a chance for us to tap into their potential, not just as basketball players, but also as young people.
I've known Coach G since college days. We both worked summer camps together, and that's how we both were introduced to each other. And then we stayed in touch throughout the profession. Gail had taught me to be able to dream big, set your goals really high. But also with that, tell them publically. Then, you hold yourself responsible. So dream big, say it out loud, and develop a plan to get there.
Coach G has been very inspirational in my life, because she's a visionary. She has these great ideas, and then she makes them happen. And it's all done the right way -- it's all done with hard work, with inspiration. She's an amazing motivator of people. She always has new ideas, so working with her through these years has been a great challenge, and has been very rewarding. But it's never the same, every year is different. And that's because Coach G is always looking for something new and better -- better ways to do something. With that, everything is new and fresh, and it's fun. Like I said, Coach G is a visionary, she sees these great things, forms a plan, and we work it hard until we get there.
When I sit and watch basketball games, I really enjoy watching how tough people are on the court. What makes them stand out from the other players? Why is one player more successful than the other one, if they have the same talent level? What are those different things that set someone apart to be incredibly successful or just pretty good? Competitiveness is certainly one thing. I love to see how players manage the rest of their teammates, and how they lead them, either in big, obvious ways, or little, quiet ways. Those are the kind of players that are able to take a program and push it over the top.
