As told to Christian Mordi (@thedribbledrop on Instagram and Twitter)
I started playing Basketball in the 5th grade. My friend's dad was the coach and he convinced me to play. I was very new to the game, I didn’t know the rules, double dribbles or anything like that to be honest. I liked the game a lot and stuck with it. I started training in 7th grade and got a lot better and started playing AAU. I loved competing. I loved to win. I loved how basketball helped you with decision making.
I decided to play high school basketball at Notre Dame. Coach James did a great job building up the program and when I started as a freshman, there were four girls who committed division one. My freshman year was great. My sophomore was a bit of a struggle as I adjusted to a bigger role. Coach James was awesome. He always pushed me to grow. Looking back, I was a bit sensitive my sophomore year, but he was said the right things. It helped me get to where I am today. We built a great bond and going into my junior and senior years he helped me a lot with recruiting. He really taught me how to lead.
In 10th grade, I came over to the NYC Exodus program. From the first day, Coach Thomas had us working. I learned quickly how intense this level is. The conditioning and competition level is on a higher level. The players are more fundamentally sound. I loved playing coach Thomas and how he pushes his players to become the best player they can be. The girls I met on the program are some of my best friends now. The EYBL circuit is awesome! Playing on that circuit was one of the best choices I ever made. It put me in a college atmosphere in regards to talent level.
My recruitment really picked up after my first live period with Exodus. For starters, I never saw that many college coaches at one game. After the first live period was over and they were allowed to call me, things got real. I was very happy. With that being said, I didn’t announce a top 5. I kept my process really low key and was doing my research properly. I wanted to move right, took my visits and did more research.
In the end, I decided to go to the University of Illinois. The first selling point was that it was away and I wanted to experience being away from home. The coaching staff is amazing. They were always so positive and really showed a high level of interest. I love the team and if I decide to major in business, they have a good program.
I want to give a special shoutout to my mom. She was there every step of the way. She sacrificed a lot to get me to the point I am today. As a single mom, she always made it work. I want to shout out my dad as he supports me a lot. My sister as well as she has always been there. Also, coach Thomas of Exodus for helping me through the process.
Go Fighting ILLINI,
Erika