TT b-ball star makes it big in US
By: Express.
Sunday, June 24 2007
Washington: The Washington Mystics made 6-7 North Carolina State centre Gillian Goring their third-round pick in the 2007 Draft. But Goring’s journey to the WNBA began an ocean away on an unpaved path.
Born in Trinidad, Goring remembers a very serene lifestyle there. “It was great. I lived there for 13 years before I came over here (to the US). It was relaxed and laid back.”
While she loved living in Trinidad with her family she also had a passion for basketball. Introduced to the sport by her older sister, she had her eye on the WNBA since the league began in 1996.
“When the WNBA started, I knew that’s where I wanted to play someday.” At age 13, she was a vice-captain on Trinidad’s U-19 national squad. Her sister was an excellent player, but once eyes turned to the younger Goring, Gillian stole the show.
“Everyone knew me because of my height, my sister and the way I played. They thought I had a lot of talent for my age.” An American coach, Mike Flynn, offered to adopt her if she would leave home and play in the US. Gillian loved home but needed no convincing. With a dream in her heart and skill in her game, nothing was going to stop Goring from getting to the WNBA, even if it meant sacrificing everything that was comfortable and familiar in her life.
Goring’s mother was reluctant to let her 13-year-old daughter leave. But the educational opportunities in the United States eventually convinced her to allow Gillian to leave.
“If it was just basketball, she would not have let me go. They convinced her with both basketball and academics.”
Off she was to a world unknown, where the only thing reminiscent of home was an orange ball and a basket. The food had a different taste, the language had a unique sound and the weather wasn’t quite as warm.
“For the first few months, I just lived on chocolate donuts and chocolate milk.” School was very challenging for the young ball player, the subjects were different and the classes were much harder. She spent many hours with tutors and teachers to get extra help and make it through.
“When I left home I was doing technical drawing, and when I came over here it was all different stuff. I had to start all over.” Socially, she struggled to make friends because many could not understand her dialect. Basketball helped her to adjust and created a common bond she shared with her new American teammates. “You meet so many people when you travel and play AAU basketball. That helped a lot.”
While it did help to play basketball, knowing that she was in the States to play and perform, she felt pressured to live up to expectations. Her life became consumed by basketball.
“All I did was live in hotels and play basketball.” But as she grew more comfortable in America and excelled on the court, she began to more appropriately balance her athletic, academic and social lives.
She also relished her role as a pioneer in Trinidad, having left at such a young age to play basketball in America. The people from her home area knew about as much about the US and its people as people in the States did about Trinidad. She was an ambassador on both sides of the aisle, but she understood the load she carried on her shoulders.
“People assumed that others (from Trinidad) would be the same way I am. So I had a good attitude, respected everyone and always worked hard. My experience opened doors for other young ladies in Trinidad.”
Her journey and success paved a path for other young Trinidadian girls as more began to come to the US in high school to play basketball and get an education. In fact, Gillian’s younger sister Crystal attended a private high school in New Jersey.
But playing also allowed Gillian to realise her WNBA aspirations. The opportunities she had as a youngster combined with her ambition and willingness to make life-changing sacrifices have landed Goring a spot on the Washington Mystics’ roster.
“This is something I wanted since I was little and I am really appreciative of it.” Goring’s indirect route to the WNBA lacked both signs and maps to guide her, but she found her way.
Goring says that she could never have reached the WNBA had her mother not let her leave home for the US Currently, her mother resides in Germany, but Goring’s voice went up a pitch as she announced that her mother would be coming to a game in DC in the coming weeks. Through all the sacrifices, the miles and the hours spent practicing, the Mystics rookie has maintained a relationship with the mother who wanted nothing less than the best for her daughter. In her mother’s eyes, the best meant getting an education and helping to allow her dreams to come true. So when the former NC State superstar was drafted 32nd overall, her proud mother erupted with joy.
“She was screaming and started crying as she watched over the Internet,” Goring recalls. Goring’s journey may have been long, but both mother and daughter would admit that it was all worth it.
