Taelor Karr: Basketball Travels

If you look down the bench of the Oregon women’s basketball team, you would see, among the team, Taelor Karr. And while Oregon is not the first college Taelor has been at, she never gave up on the sport of basketball.
                At an early age, Taelor always wanted to spend time with her older brother, so anything he was doing, she tried to do. If he was playing sports, so was she. He ended up introducing her to basketball and she says, “It was just something I picked up pretty easily.” Taelor grew up in a small town in Kansas, so when it came time to choose a college to attend, she chose to stay close to home and attend Kansas State University. At the time, she believed that Kansas State was a good fit for her and she “really liked the fact that her family could watch her play.”

                But after Taelor’s sophomore year, Kansas State threw her a curveball. They told her that they would not be renewing her scholarship, and this forced her to find somewhere else to go. Taelor searched the country for a school that would suit her where she could get a good education and continue playing basketball.

 In the end, Taelor ended up choosing to attend Gonzaga University. When I asked her why she chose Gonzaga she responded by telling me, “I had many schools contacting me during the process of trying to find where to go, but from the first time I talked to Coach Graves on the phone, I knew I wanted to go to GU.  Then, after I went on my visit and met the team, the rest of the coaching staff, and saw the campus, it was a done deal.”

Taelor went to Gonzaga expecting to have to sit out a season due to NCAA rules, but to her, and many other peoples surprise, she was granted immediate eligibility and stepped in to fill a big role at Gonzaga. Taelor first game for Gonzaga was a big one, as she entered the school just after star point guard Courtney Vandersloot left the school. Anyone who came in after Courtney knew they had big shoes to fill.

I asked Taelor how she felt about being compared to Courtney and she told me, “It was pretty funny that people thought I looked like CV and were asking for my autograph in stores. I knew I would have big shoes to fill since I was coming in the year after she left, but I was confident in myself and my abilities.  She’s a great player so I didn’t think of it as having to be just like Courtney. I just went out and tried to do what I knew I was good at.”

This confidence led Taelor to become one of the best three point shooters in Gonzaga history, and she became a leader on and off the court.

Following a heartbreaking loss in the NCAA tournament, Taelor followed her dream of playing professional basketball and was signed to a team in France. “Playing professional basketball was a dream come true! It was something that I had always dreamed about and wanted to do since I was a little girl, so for me to actually have the opportunity to fulfill that dream was very special to me. It’s such a great experience to be able to play a sport in another country and learn about their culture. It’s cool to be able to broaden your horizons and see how other countries live and function.”

After one season in France Taelor came back to the United States and moved to Oregon. With this move, Taelor followed Coach Kelly Graves to his new coaching position at the University of Oregon. She is currently the Graduate assistant coach at Oregon and is pursuing a Division one coaching career.

Taelor does not believe that she would have the opportunities she has today if she did not transfer to Gonzaga. “Gonzaga helped open up a lot of doors with meeting new people and making new connections that I wouldn’t have otherwise.  It helped me get my passion back for the game and want to pursue playing overseas. It brought me and Coach Graves into contact and now I have formed a great relationship with him and am working for him at Oregon.”

Taelor has dedicated her whole life to basketball and cannot wait to see what the future holds for her. She has had “the time of her life.”

 

 

 

Keani Albanez: 3 Points for the Cali Girl

                As of January 11, 2015, Keani Albanez stands at number seven all time on three pointers made at Gonzaga University, just eight three pointers short of sixth place. In many Zags fans’ minds, there is no doubt that Keani will reach at least fourth on the list before she graduates in the spring. While Keani’s play often seems effortless to many fans, the amount of time, effort, and work she has put in to get to where she is now would baffle most people.

                Keani started playing basketball in first grade. In the beginning of her basketball career, Keani was coached by her dad and says that “she loved being able to spend more time with him.” Unlike many kids growing up now who look up to players who everyone thinks is the best, Keani looked up to many local stars in the “805” – an area of California in which the area code is 805. Keani is very proud of the 805, which includes Santa Barbara, where she grew up. From first grade until now, Keani has been dedicated to basketball, and all of the work she has put in over the years has paid off. 

                She grew up playing with and against her sisters, and by the time she was fourteen, Keani was ranked as the Best Player in the Country. Being ranked so high led to Keani being recruited by many schools, and her freshmen year of high school she committed to play basketball at the University of Southern California. Little did she know at the time, but the coaches to whom she committed to at USC would be replaced before she got there. Once the coaching change happened, Keani decided that USC was not the place for her, and she went in search of the perfect school.

                The perfect school ended up being Gonzaga University in Spokane Washington. Although Keani’s senior season at Buena High School ended in a heartbreaking loss to their rivals in the Championship Game, Keani , who was then the seventy second ranked player in the country, packed her bags and was off to start the next part of her journey at one of the top women’s basketball schools in the country.

                This all seemed well and good - until the one thousand three hundred miles between Keani and her family started getting to her. She had been right by her family her entire life, and now being two states away was taking its toll. At one point during her freshmen year, Keani told her parents that she wanted to come home. She was too far away from them and was having trouble transitioning from being one of the best players on her team growing up to “not being the best at all.”

                After talking with her parents, a little fan was pointed out in the crowd. There was a little blonde girl in the stands who was not just cheering for the Zags, she was cheering for Keani. It was at this time that Keani realized that she was not playing entirely for herself or her team, but she was playing for the fans, and whether she played in the game or not, her fans always cheered her on. After this turn of events, Keani started fighting for the “nitty gritty playing time,” and at the end of the season, she averaged eight minutes a game.

                Keani has since become a fan favorite, and one fan told me, "she brought 805 balling to the 509." On and off the court, Keani is now viewed as a role model by many young girls. Whether it's:  a shot she makes, a steal she gets, a picture she takes after the game, or something she says to a fan, Keani is always giving back to her fans. One fan told me, "she helps kids like myself reach for higher goals." Keani takes the time to build relationships with her fans, and many of these relationships extend outside the walls of the gym. Moreover, she is one of the few players around the country who truly respects her fans as much as they respect her. 

                While the distance from her family was hard her first two years at Gonzaga, she is used to it now. She says that, “Playing a lot of games in California helps.” So naturally Keani’s favorite places to play are in Southern California so that her family and friends can be at the games - and so she can get In n’ Out after the games.

                As her college career winds down, Keani took a look back on what basketball has done for her. When asked if basketball had gotten her through something she didn’t think she would have gotten through without it, she responded simply by saying, “Life.” Basketball shaped the person she is today and opened up countless doors and opportunities for her. Basketball gave her one big giant family consisting of all of her teammates and fans.

                   Being a veteran of the game now, Keani would say that, “she’s getting perty old.” While Keani is currently unsure of what the future holds for her, she said, “To be drafted would be amazing. Anywhere they send me would be amazing. I may play with the Mexican National team this summer.” Other than that, Keani is just going to play her game and trust that God will lead her to the right place.

"All is fair in love and basketball."

-Keani Albanez

Shaniqua Nilles: Two Sides to Every Story

For most college athletes, balancing school and their sport is a struggle, but for Shaniqua Nilles, the balancing act is even more challenging. But rather than viewing it as a challenge, Shaniqua views it as a blessing. Shaniqua plays basketball at Gonzaga University, and she recently started her junior season. Well redshirt junior season that is. In college sports, a redshirt is someone who chose to sit out a season or was unable to play in a season, who is still able to play in practice but is not allowed to play in games. By redshirting, it allows a player an extra year of eligibility in which they may play more. Most college players redshirt because they will not get playing time, or because they have a bad injury, but Shaniqua did not redshirt for either of these reasons.

From a very young age, Shaniqua knew that she wanted to play basketball at Gonzaga. She started playing basketball at the age of five. Growing up, she did gymnastics and dance, and she played soccer, basketball, volleyball, and ran track. In the end, Shaniqua chose basketball because she “loves how competitive and gritty basketball is, yet it is still a mental game as well.”

Shaniqua said that her biggest accomplishment in basketball was fulfilling a lifelong dream and signing to play at Gonzaga. She ended up choosing Gonzaga because, “I love the atmosphere. It's second to none in the country, if you ask me. I also loved the fact that my parents could be at every game. They've supported me in all my endeavors in life. Plus, my best friend, Jazmine Redmon, was there and I knew I couldn't pass on an opportunity to reunite with her on the hardwood again.” Shaniqua was also blessed to get a full ride athletic scholarship and an academic scholarship for her grades.

While accomplishing a lifelong dream, getting scholarships, and playing for one of the best women’s basketball teams in the country sounds good, there is a side to Shaniqua that people rarely see.

                On June 11, 2012, the summer before her sophomore year at Gonzaga, Shaniqua gave birth to her daughter.  

                When Shaniqua first found out she was pregnant, she “was afraid that I would no longer be able to accomplish all these goals I had set for myself AND raise a child.” After her daughter was born, Shaniqua considered quitting basketball, “a few times, actually. I felt like I wasn't being an attentive mom because I had so many other things to focus on simultaneously. But then, Haiden Palmer and Jazmine Redmon came to my rescue. They made it clear to me that by remaining a full-time student and a D1 athlete, I was being a good mom. I was sacrificing a little bit of my now, for our future. I can never thank Haiden and Jazy enough for bringing me back from the edge. I love them and thank God daily for them both.” Because of the amazing support system Shaniqua has between her friends and teammates and family, she is able to raise her daughter and play college basketball.

                In order to describe the amazing support system she has, Shaniqua said, “They say it takes a village to raise a baby, but in this case it takes an entire university.”

                While raising a child is a challenge for anyone, Shaniqua manages to do it while staying in school, and playing college basketball. When asked how she manages to do this, she told me, “It's all about time-management, organization and balance. One thing that has really helped me is that when I'm with my daughter, she gets my full, undivided attention. The same goes for my team and my studies.” Shaniqua is determined to finish college and be successful because she is no longer doing things just for her, but rather for her daughter.

                For Shaniqua, her biggest struggle in basketball has been her confidence. “Being a D1 athlete can be exhausting mentally, physically and emotionally. It took me some time to realize that God has me at GU for a reason; I belong, and I am a valued member of the women's basketball team.” Shaniqua is now a key player for the team, and in the first game of the 2014-2015 season she had eight points, and three rebounds, helping the team to a ten point win over number twenty-two ranked Dayton.

                Shaniqua has been a part of many important and exciting moments for the Gonzaga basketball team, along with many disappointing and upsetting moments. Shaniqua says her favorite basketball moment at Gonzaga was when, “I hit a game-winner against Ohio St. Wow, that was such an amazing and rare opportunity. I am so blessed! Seeing my teammates rush the court to embrace me and celebrate.... Still gives me the chills.” While in this moment, Shaniqua’s teammates were rushing her, in what Shaniqua described as the worst basketball moment, it was the players of the other team rushing the court. Shaniqua claim that her least favorite basketball moment at Gonzaga was “Losing to James Madison University in the first round of the NCAA tournament last year. The disappointment was so painful, but that has motivated my teammates for this season.”

                Everyone who is a fan of a college basketball team has experienced this kind of disappointment at some time or another, whether you play or not, watching your team lose always hurts, and it hurts a little more when the loss ends your season.

                On hard days like these days, Shaniqua thinks of her daughter to keep her going. She said, “She gives me purpose. Everything I do, I do for her.”              

                Every basketball player has bad days where it seems nothing is going right, and for many of these players, on these days, they want to just take a break and step off of the court for just a few minutes. That is not the case with Shaniqua. For Shaniqua, “There's nothing a little sweat can't fix!” Basketball is where she goes on a bad day, “Basketball has always been an escape for me. That's where I feel the most like my true self. Whenever I feel down, lost or heavy, I go get up a few jumpshots.”

                One of the hardest things for Shaniqua to do is leave her daughter to travel to away games. “It breaks my heart every time. I have to leave the most precious piece of me behind. It hurts, and when she was little I was so scared that I would miss her say "mom" for the first time or her first few steps.. She misses me so much and that's hard to hear her crying for me, but thank goodness for Skype and Facetime!”

                Shaniqua loves being at Gonzaga, but her time at the beautiful school is quickly passing her by, and thoughts about her future have started going through her mind. Once she leaves Gonzaga, “playing overseas would be an unbelievable blessing.” If playing overseas doesn’t end up working out, Shaniqua wants to find a career in Public Relations anywhere but the U.S. She said, “I need to see the world.”

                Shaniqua has learned so many valuable lessons at Gonzaga, and swears she has gained, “a valuable lesson every day.” She summed up all of the lessons she has learned by saying, “God is good. I know many people doubted me and whether or not I would be able to pull this off! Shoot, I even doubted myself. I've learned that God is always working towards the good. Regardless of the trials and tribulations I'm experiencing, God is looking out for and taking care of me. I live such a blessed life.”

                The biggest lesson to take from Shaniqua is: no matter what you go through in your life, always know that anything is possible. You may have a period of time where people doubt you and you may even start to believe what they are saying. But always remember that life will go on, and no matter what happens, you always have the option to change it. You control your future, and whether you end up at the top or the bottom, that is where you led yourself, so work to get where you want and don’t let anything stop you.

"Owning our story and loving ourselves through that journey is our greatest display of courage." -Shaniqua Nilles

David Stockton: Stepping out of the Shadow

For many people the name John Stockton is a household name. All across the country and even the world, people have heard the name John Stockton. John played Division one college basketball and went on to have a very good professional career. Most people, however, have never heard the name David Stockton. David, like his dad, chose to pursue basketball.

At the age of five, David started following his siblings around doing everything they did, and this was the start of his basketball career. All through his childhood David played many sports. When asked how he choose basketball, David told me, "I didn't choose basketball, basketball chose me." Basketball was in David's blood, and even though his dad was a professional player, David said he never pushed him to do anything. When David was playing basketball he just looked at it as having fun because he could be like his dad.

Throughout his career David has always been determined to succeed. Coming out of high school, David wanted to play Division one basketball in college. When it came time to choose which college he was going to attend, he chose Gonzaga University, which happened to be the school his dad had attended. When I asked David why he chose to go to a school that his dad was so well known and had such an amazing career at, he answered simply by saying, "Gonzaga was the only Division one university that wanted me to walk on, so I did."

David went from being a walk on athlete to a regular starter and someone the team relied on. In the world of college sports, a walk on is someone who was not given a scholarship to play at the school, but is given an opportunity to still be on the team if they proved they are good enough in a tryout. For David, the most challenging thing in his career has not been fighting to make Gonzaga's team or fighting to get playing time. His biggest challenge was proving to coaches and other people, "That he was able to play because he was good, not cause who his dad was."

Many would say that Gonzaga's willingness to allow David to walk on to their team was because of his dad. David knew he was going to have to work really hard to break out of his dad's shadow. In his four years at Gonzaga, David went from a walk on to a starter and key part of the team.

Leaving Gonzaga David had high hopes of playing professionally somewhere. During preseason for the National Basketball Association (NBA) David was acquired by the Washington Wizards. In the end, the Wizards did not end up working out for David. This was just another bump in the road for David. He is still pursuing a professional career, and at this point he is undecided where he will go. David has fought hard for everything that he has achieved, and if he keeps fighting he will reach his ultimate goal. Keep your eyes and ears open for David Stockton because in the near future he will be someone to really watch.

Rory Bushfield: Fear doesn’t scare him

When it comes to the world of action sports, people often think of names like Travis Pastrana, or Johnny Mosely, and Rory Bushfield is often hidden in the shadows. To Rory, that means absolutely nothing. As a professional free skier, base jumper and sky diver, Rory lives every day on the edge.

Rory was two years old when he started skiing, and although he does not really remember learning how to ski, he is very grateful that he did. Being a young boy, he played as many sports as he could, until he was fifteen and decided to focus on one sport. Rory’s love “to ride down snowy mountains,” led him to choose skiing over every other sport. Around the same time he chose skiing, he met a woman named Sarah Burke.

Like Rory, Sarah was a free skier. Sarah was always showing up the boys on the slopes or in the half pipe, and Rory wanted to beat her. After years of friendly competition and friendship, Rory and Sarah became the “hot couple” on the slopes. And Rory fell in love with Sarah way before she fell in love with him.

One day, Rory took Sarah for a flight in his plane. He flew Sarah over a spot where he had dug out “Marry Me Sarah!” in the snow. Shortly after he proposed, Rory and Sarah were married. Throughout the course of their marriage, Rory taught Sarah a lot, and Sarah taught Rory a lot. I asked Rory what it was like to travel the world and ski with Sarah, and he told me, “I feel so lucky that I got to be so close to her.  She taught me so much!  And she was the golden ticket to travel with.  She had everything really dialed in.” They were truly soul mates, but life would deal them a cruel blow. 

On January 10, 2012, Sarah was training in Park City Utah when she caught an edge coming down from a trick and landed on her head. She was airlifted to a nearby hospital, and died nine days later.

While Sarah’s death hit Rory very hard, it did not take him long to ski again. He said, “I live to ski. So did Sarah.”

Since Sarah’s death, Rory has added more than just skiing to his repertoire. He, “Started (base) jumping about a year and a half ago. It’s the best way to get places. This summer I was skydiving into the blackcomb glacier in the mornings so I could ski all day!” Rory also joined Travis Pastana and the Nitro Circus crew where he took skiing to a new level. He traveled with the crew on their tour, performing on the roller skis. When I asked him what this experience was like, he told me, “Completely crazy!  Roller Skis have no brakes!  Everyone in nitro land was awesome!  It was one of the nicest most grounded groups of people I have ever hung out with.”

Not only is Rory a talented skier, roller skier, base jumper, and sky diver, but he also proved that he is a very talented diver. Rory appeared on the TV competition show Splash where different celebrities learned different Olympic dives each week and competed with each other for the trophy. Early on in the competition Rory ruptured his eardrum and was not able to do any of his dives into water until the live show. Nonetheless, Rory pushed through and won the show. Rory told me, “I got really lucky to be on that show. I was the only athlete.  I think just having a past of competing gave me an edge.  I knew how to train with an injury.”

Being a competitive athlete, Rory knew how to overcome an injury and come out on top. He told me that in his skiing career, the biggest challenge he has ever had was overcoming knee surgery. Rory does not plan to let anything slow him down. He lives to travel the world and ski. He said the hardest thing about traveling so much is “Leaving my dog Dextor behind when I have to.  I got her registered as a service dog so nobody can say no to her but I still go places she can't...” 

Rory loves trying new things, and he gets a sense of accomplishment from successfully doing new things. In his future, Rory plans to “adventure the world with airplanes, wheels, skis, and floating devices.”

In his career, base jumping and skiing have taught Rory some valuable lessons, but he said the most valuable lesson they taught him is “Enjoy every moment! Life is short.” Rory wants to “get all I can!” in the time that he is given to live, because he knows that one day life will end, and he does not want to have any regrets.

Rory has not thought much about what he would be doing if he was not skiing, but he said, “I hope I would be doing something that gave me a shivering smile!”

Rory lives every day to ski, and although everyone views the sport as dangerous, Rory said, “It's not that dangerous, people are just scared of too much.  It's so damn fun.  To each their own, but I think people are missing out if they don't scare themselves all the time.” So get up, go try something new, and get the most out of the life you are given.