Overseas: Uncut

As you already know, I’ve been playing overseas for a while- 11 years now. But this season has been much different from the previous ones. I can say both on the court and off the court, things have changed.

After playing on one of the best teams in the WNBA, with some of the best players in the world, there was a certain level of excellence and work ethic that I was exposed to. Having to play with and against such great competition all summer, I now have a new found confidence and knowledge of the game. I also noticed that here overseas, I’ve had to grow as a player because a lot more people are generally more familiar with who I am and how I play. So I’ve had to add different facets to my game because now nothing comes easy.

One surprising challenge that has come along has been learning to find a balance of life outside of basketball. In the past, I’ve normally had the summer’s off to refresh so that when the overseas season comes along in September, I am fully committed and focused on hoop in every way. During the season I usually watch tons of film and lots of other basketball games, and I am always thinking about my next game or opponent. But after now playing nonstop, I’ve found that, I sometime feel a sense of basketball overload. In this way, I’ve had to commit myself to exploring outside interest to create a healthy balance. The great thing is, I am spending much more time getting back to doing other things I enjoy and developing new interests, while also being able to maintain focus with basketball.

Here are a few thing I enjoy doing here overseas that help me keep a balance:

These things may seem simple but they have been tremendous in helping me stay centered and being my best self on and off the court. And on top of that, I’m thankful that after all theses years, my game is finally respected and appreciated all over the world.