Of course, everyone has heard of Lauren Heardwho over the course of his career has counted more points than any athlete in the history of the TCU Women’s Basketball team.
I had the privilege of talking to her in a one-on-one interview. I found that she was as focused and driven as one would assume by an athlete of her abilities.
To begin with, of course, I would like to know how it felt to “have earned more career points than any other person in the history of the program. Can you tell me how it feels?”
“It feels great. Looking at it in its entirety is a reward for the hard work I’ve put in five years. It was not a goal I was looking for, but just to work hard and try to seize every moment and every opportunity. on the field … I am very grateful. ”
“Do you have any favorite memories on the field this season?”
“Nothing against Tech, but our victory at home was super fun. It was one of those moments where our team showed an incredible amount of resilience. I dribbled the left lane, tried to make a dump pass to Delicious (Morris), but it was tipped. . . and Aja Holmes hit the three. Our team wanted to show battle and that was what we did. It was super good for us and super good for future girls to know what it takes to win in the big 12. ”
“I assume you’ve been playing basketball all your life. What made you do it early?”
“My mother played basketball at UNT. My father ran tracks. But it was not just basketball. I stuck to basketball, court and volleyball. But I had to choose. My dad was my track coach in the summer. Eventually I had to tell my family basketball was where my heart is. My dad was a little upset that I pushed the trail to the curb, but he was glad I found my passion. I played on a really good high school team. It made me grow and pushed me. When I played in these tournaments, I looked good because everyone saw our dynamic team and TCU was one of the first to call and I never looked back. ”
“You mentioned that your father was somewhat disappointed that you left traces for the curb. How is he now that you have had such great success at TCU as a basketball player?”
“I think he understands. But I know he’s proud of me. And he always said whatever you do, do it all the way. Play with joy.”
“It’s an introduction to another question. Athletes are celebrated for their skill, at the same time we expect them to be role models. It does not follow that because one has a special gift, they will be someone whose example others should follow. Which “Do you think the athlete has a responsibility to be a moral leader? Is it important to you when evaluating athletes? Are the two intertwined?”
“I think they are very intertwined. I think we are making a mistake by trying to separate them. My mother told me when I was little that a lot is required of who is given a lot. Whether it is on high school or professional level, we have a responsibility.If it was easy, everyone could do it.It’s important that we do not take it for granted, this opportunity.A young girl looking at me would like to see how I “Treat my teammates. If I do not score, do I still celebrate my teammates? Have gratitude and be present in the moment. Carrying yourself with class and grace is very important because you never know who is looking at you.”
“Why did you decide to come to TCU?”
“One of the things we got into earlier in this interview is morale and character. One of the things that influenced my decision to commit here was to be on the phone with all these coaches who have all these sales pitches. , but many coaches make the mistake of not talking about life.If basketball ended, how would I be in a good position for life? That was one of the things Coach Pebley talked to me about. She said I think you are amazing and talented. There are things you can work on, but I love who you are. I like your character. I think you could be a really good basketball player, but you could also use this institution to be a really good human being. It was great for me and my family. That transparency. “
“As a team, you have had some mixed results. You have had many wins and some losses. What do you think the team needs to work on to maximize its potential?”
“First and foremost, maturity. Is used to playing against the Big 12 and other pre-season conferences. Having that awareness and translating it into the game by being consistent. Once you have that knowledge, you can go back to court and keep practicing those things so that it becomes a habit. Basketball is definitely a habit game. You can not win by accident. Everything has to be something you can do again. ”
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“For you, how do you keep your work from being a job? On the one hand, we talk about consistency. It’s easy to be cumbersome. How do you maintain that coherence? How do you keep it fun while being consistent?”
“When I think of a job, that’s what I have to do. I have to go to work. With basketball, it’s a job. If you want to be successful. But I do not think of it as I have to do it. “here, but I get it here. It goes back to gratitude. I get to put on a TCU shirt and go into a facility designed for me and these other girls. It’s such a blessing. It’s just about the mindset.”
“Do you find it difficult to be a good student and a good athlete at the same time?”
“Definitely. It’s funny that the two words go together because they do not work together in real life. You have to make it work. You have to be in the classroom. But then the demand for basketball is significant. If you have a game, the university will write an e-mail to your professor and say that you will miss the teaching.So this one class I consistently lack … what happens in it? So you send an e-mail to your professors and check the class list to see if you are not someone who can give you notes or treats of what I missed. ”
“I would like to ask how are you doing with TCU as a whole as a student-athlete? Is this a place you are happy to call home? Do you have any criticism beyond the praise you may have?”
“I love TCU. When I came here, I loved TCU, and now that I travel, I love it, if not more. I love that the sport was not excluded from each other. If anyone does really well, as the track team, will “TCU women’s basketball is likely to say something about it. Beach volleyball is good. We know about it. We celebrate each other. It’s huge. It’s not this sport versus that sport.”
I conclude with two questions. “I would like you to imagine that you are talking to your teammates next year. What advice would you give them? I would also like you to imagine that you are talking to yourself fifteen years ago. Which advice would you give yourself? ”
“I want to tell them to ask yourself if you really love basketball enough to do all the hard stuff it takes to win. If the answer is yes, then you look at last year, you look at the work. What is it now that will make us better? Responsibility has always been huge for me. First and foremost responsibility. I love basketball, so what can I do about it? You have to back up your work. What you put in you get out. It’s taking the little details, going to the movie room, getting in the gym and applying yourself and changing what has not worked before. Getting out of your comfort zone. We need to change and become uncomfortable and do things we do not have done before.I would tell them to be serious and be with all the way.
As for me, knowing what I know now, I would say to myself that you can do it. When I started with basketball, I wanted to steal, and because I was fast, I ran down the court to get a draft. People would say you’re good, but you do not have a jump shot, you are not a killer among the three. There are areas that you need to grow in to be amazing. I regret that I did not take it and learned to shoot and have a midrange. At that moment, I thought, I can not shoot, and then it was defense, defense. Which is good, but I’m never allowed myself to get better at it. I did in the end, but it took a long time. If there is one area that I need to get better at and someone with experience and wisdom says, “Hi, you need to reach this level if you want to be successful…” Now I want to work for it. I want to tell myself that you can do it, just work for it. Everything I have achieved has been the result of me making a decision to work for it. for basketball I would say be yourself, be who you are.I would say that to myself, my teammates now.Do not waver and change your values and principles to be approved by someone.If you do not stand for anything, you fall for anything. I believe that. “
If you do not stand for anything, you fall for anything. Wisdom from one of TCU’s best athletes.
Note: this interview has been greatly shortened for space reasons.
The full interview is shown below:
Among other things, Mrs. Heard also talks to her favorite teammates about how she feels about coach Pebley, her favorite classes, and her majors.
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