Who are the leader(s) on this team? Crystal Boyland is a big factor for us. She is a motivator on and off the court…Once she gets on the court, and she’s so enthused, she picks us up when we’re down. DeAnna Hanscom is one of the factors [on the team]. We’ve just got to have everybody picking up the team at certain points in the game.
What’s your approach to the game? What’s your mindset? I would say, two hours before the game I’m mellow. Thirty minutes before the game I have small butterflies, but when I’m in the game it’s all gone. Adrenaline takes over, I try to relax, I try to think of something else. I try to get focused on what I’m supposed to do, and how I’m supposed to do it.
Do you or any of your teammates have any odd rituals before games? Trineca McCleod does like to listen to Michael Jackson’s “Beat It,” and she likes to dance and get hyped.
Are there any practical jokers on this team? We did have an incident last year where one of the girls’ rooms’ got toilet papered in the middle of the night…We never found out who that was that did it but I’m sure that we’ve got more jokes coming.
You were born in New York, how long did you live there? I was in New York for 12 years.
Where did you live after that? After living in New York I went to Ft. Myers, Florida. After leaving Ft. Myers, Florida, I went to Atlanta, and after Atlanta I went to Junior College in Mississippi, and now I’m here.
So where is home? Right now, home is New York and Georgia, because that’s where all of my family resides.
Growing up in New York did Sept. 11 have a big affect on you? Sept. 11 hit my family really hard…We actually had some family members working around the World Trade Center…My grandmother was born and raised in New York. She lived there all of her life and she decided to move…the Twin Towers were history for her and when they fell, it took its toll on her. We had to pick her up, and pray and hope that everybody else in the United States understands that things happen for a reason, and God doesn’t put more on anybody than what they can bear. He’s going to take care of the people who’ve done this to our nation. Hopefully that will never happen again…you can’t let things like that take over your life.
How big is religion in your life? Religion is a big part of my life. I feel that God gave me the talent to do what I do. He gives me the ability to wake up everyday. He blesses me, forgives me for my sins…I keep him first and foremost in my life.
Georgia and New York are home, but how have you liked living here? I love the weather. The people aren’t very friendly here; they’ll throw you the cold shoulder. Overall, I love FAU; it’s a wonderful university. But I wouldn’t live here after I finish school, because I really just don’t like the atmosphere, not of FAU, but the state of Florida alone. It’s just been really unfriendly to me.
Are you a little homesick? I do like Atlanta. It just seems like people here are more into their own thing, than they are about helping the community or sponsoring a club or something like that.
What’s after college? Hopefully, if I can make it to either an overseas team…I’d love to play for an overseas team, but [if not] I’ll become a social worker and work for the kids. I want to coach basketball in high school or middle school on the side, but overall I’ll be a social worker.
Are there any basketball players that you grew up admiring or you try to emulate? There’s so many. At one point in time I liked Penny Hardaway. He’s just an awesome point guard. I did like Magic Johnson. He was an awesome all-around player. Currently, I admire Jason Kidd. I’m admiring Steve Nash. These are point guards, they don’t play my position, but I do think they’re awesome all-around players. I would love to be able to play like them.
When did you first pick up a basketball? It was actually in middle school in Ft. Myers, Florida. I had a friend, she wanted to do something, and she was like, “Hey, why not try out for the basketball team.” I was bad, I mean [I] was really bad and I didn’t want to do it anymore because the kids at school made fun of me. My aunt actually told me, “You’ve got to keep going, you’ve got to keep striving, and you’ve got to keep doing. Don’t just give up like that.” I worked on it, and I worked on it, and in high school there were times where I really wanted to give up because things just weren’t getting any better for me. I just had a lot of people in my life encouraging me to keep going. Right now [playing basketball is] my passion. I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better than middle school. I just love the game. I’m going to miss it if I have to let it go.
What is your favorite memory at FAU? My favorite [memory] is just being with the team and being with the coaches…they’re funny, they’re kind, they’re just like one of us on the road. I love to be with my team on road trips.
If you could change or improve anything about yourself, what would it be? I would want to be more versatile…have more speed…handle the ball a little better.
