Feature No. 24 | October 23rd, 2020
Where does your love for basketball come from and how are you involved in the game today?
My love for the game definitely comes from my family. With my dad and uncle being professional basketball players, the sport has always been part of my life. It’s full circle now to be able to manage hoopers and throw these amazing youth tournaments.
Talk about your college tennis career. How was the transition from playing sports in school to working in sports when you graduated?
College tennis was honestly amazing because I felt a part of something so much bigger, in no elitist sounding kind of way. Being able to play a sport at such a high level was amazing. There’s something different about playing sports at a collegiate and professional level that makes me forever feel special. That made the transition from playing to working in sports so much better because internally I feel like I belong and being a woman in this field sometimes I need that.
You do a lot of work in Las Vegas with the Tarkanian Classic and Big Time LV. What's the culture like in the city and how is it growing?
I feel like our tournaments absolutely set the tone for hoops in Vegas. UNLV hasn’t been good in a long time, summer league is cool but at times can be forgettable; our tournaments really are the staple. I think there was one NBA draft recently I watched where we had 48 of the 60 selections participate in one of our tournaments. It’s really special to work with Grant Rice and Gary Charles. No matter how busy work gets, I think I’ll always work in some capacity.
Talk about your work with Dearica Hamby of the Las Vegas Aces. What is your relationship like and what do you enjoy most about building her brand?
Our relationship is friends first and I love that. I genuinely was supporting her when I first started going to Aces games and then we realized that we could work together and really make things shake. The WNBA needs to highlight more of its players, so assisting in that with the 2 time WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year is awesome. I’m so excited for the Aces being in the finals too!
What excites you most about basketball in the future, when things get back to normal?
I’m excited about the work projects I have and seeing them come to fruition. Also excited for the new G League team and to see those guys become pros. The bubble was great though and I’m glad people got to keep their jobs and basketball got to continue so honestly as long as they’re playing, I’m happy!
