"Coach! How does it feel to win your first official professional basketball game?"
Smiling brightly, I replied, "I feel awesome! My ladies came out and did their thing!"
"You made history tonight, becoming the youngest coach to win a WNBA regular season game! What would you tell those who feel as though this position isn't for you?"
Shrugging, I replied, "Talk to me at the end of the season."
An hour and a half after the game was called, and once all my players had left, I walked out of the locker room and strolled tiredly through the near-empty tunnel toward the exit. Not until I reached the exit did I allow my emotions to take over.
Fighting back tears, I reached my car and got in it before breaking down. As I cried, I snatched my phone out of my bag to see if my boyfriend, Teddy, had any reason for why he didn't show up for arguably the biggest day of my career.
Mimi:You know we had to get that W for you!!!! Congratulations, boo! Can't wait for us to celebrate!!
PJ:I'm so proud of you, boo! Congratulations! We love you!
Swiping at my tears as I laughed at my best friends' messages, I could always depend on them to put a smile on my face. There were several other messages from my family and other associates of mine. Unfortunately, the one message I sought wasn't in my phone.
Because I was under so much pressure with this being my first regular season game as a head coach, all my family made sure they were in attendance, which included my mom, dad, my brother, BJ, and my little sister, Brixie. We were now headed to a restaurant to celebrate the win. They refused to let me go straight home. It was come to dinner now or get out of my bed early on Sunday for church and dinner afterward. Knowing how I like to sleep in, I agreed to celebrate now.
As I pulled out of the parking lot, I focused on getting my mind off the negativity surrounding my relationship with my boyfriend. Teddy and I had been together for four years, and at some point, I thought things were only going up for us. Shaking Teddy from my mind, I thought about better times.
From the time I was five years old, I was taught the game of basketball. I sat courtside watching my dad coach BJ, so enthralled by the action that I started learning to play at six years old. My mother wanted me to be a cheerleader like she'dbeen, but I wanted to dribble a ball. As I grew, my passion for basketball grew. I went out for middle school, high school, and college basketball, dominating my position. Alongside Naomi and PJ, we brought our college team to back-to-back championships. In my third year of college, basketball is where things seemingly went south for me.
I loved basketball so much that I never expectednotto be able to play it. Throughout my career, I'd had plenty of minor injuries — a sore ankle here, a dislocated finger there but nothing major that sidelined me. That all changed on one play. I came down wrong on my right leg, tearing my ACL.
Devastated, I cried for months. I went from being hurt to angry, then depressed within those months. My family thought I'd gone over the deep end. That was three years ago. My dream of one-day playing pro-ball was wiped away in an instant. Sure, I could've done intensive therapy to rehab and get back on the court, but I was the type that wanted to play at my full potential or not play at all. So, I'd recovered from my injury but never returned to playing. Instead, I took a head coaching job at the local high school in my hometown. I found it brought me joy to coach, and because I'd learned from my father, coaching came just as naturally as playing.
My leadership on the court, both playing and coaching, caught the attention of the new owner of the Pensacola Pelicans. When his team reached out to my management, I was stunned to learn he wanted to give me a shot in the pros.
At first, I'd been apprehensive, unsure of what to expect. My best friend, Naomi, was already playing for the Pelicans and nearly jumped me when she found out about the offer. She threatened to beat me up if I didn't consider taking the job. My parents, BJ, and even Brixie all but threatened me to take the job as well, touting my love for the sport. Then came PJ, my other best friend, who ended up being traded to the Pelicans to joinher sister. We were thick as thieves and had been since college. It took a week for me to make my decision, and now here I was.
The only person who hadn't been along for the ride was the one who should've been by my side the whole way. Teddy and I met before I went off to college. He played for a rival high school and was the star of his team. He'd been heavily recruited by every major college basketball program in the country. He settled on Central Florida A&M because I was going there. Halfway through the season, Teddy was out with some of his friends playing a pickup game when he collapsed. He was rushed to the hospital, and after several hours of testing, Teddy was found to have a heart condition. Just like I was devastated about my injury, Teddy was devastated by his diagnosis.
Still, I remained by his side, uplifting him whenever I could. He stayed angry most times, blaming his condition on his parents, previous doctors, and coaches for not finding his condition sooner. He'd had surgery to correct the issue but could never play ball again.
As his woman, I encouraged him to get into coaching. He had a degree in communications that he could've used to go into broadcasting. Teddy, however, seemed to enjoy wallowing in self-pity. Lately, I was tired of it. Regardless of how he felt about life, he should've been at my game tonight. That wasn't being selfish. I would've done the same for him.
Right when I arrived at the restaurant, a text came through. Thinking it was Teddy, I picked it up from the seat quickly.
Mimi:I've been tricked into going to dinner with someone, and needless to say, I'm not feeling this shit at all. He had better be on his best behavior, or we gon' have a serious problem.
Me:First off, bitch, I didn't know you were dating anyone. You know, after everything with Vick you went on this no man, no dick, I possibly like bitches' strike.
Mimi:You tried it. You know I ain't ever thought about bumping coochies with nobody, not even yo' pretty ass. I'll tell you all about him later if it's something to talk about. We are about to pull up to the restaurant now, so pray for me. You know my mouth ain't set up to be nice to folks.
Me:Lord, Naomi, be nice. If PJ is with you, she'll keep you in line.
Mimi:We shall see. You, on the other hand, need to be on Teddy's head as to why his ass wasn't at the game. We already don't like him. The best thing for him to do is be on his best behavior and support you, or we gon' find a way to get rid of his ass and dump his ass in the nearest river.
Me:LMFAO!! You are nuts. Goodnight, friend. Enjoy your dinner with your new boo.
Mimi:BRRRRICK is what he gone be throwing if he tries to run game on me. I ain't falling for that smooth-talking shit. This pussy is on lockdown, and his fine ass will not be the one to slide in and change that.
Me:All I read was that he's fine. Lol
Mimi:You would point that part out. Talk to you later, boo.
Tossing my phone in my purse, I headed inside to enjoy this time with the ones who actually told and showed me that they loved me.
