March 29, 2024, 04:39:37 AM

Author Topic: WNBA star from Morvant  (Read 1645 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline zuluwarrior

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 3048
  • use your tongue to count your teeth
    • View Profile
    • http://pointalive.com
WNBA star from Morvant
« on: February 21, 2008, 08:06:26 PM »


Thursday, February 14th 2008
 
 
 
At 6ft 7in Gillian Goring towers over her opponents in the WNBA.

Washington Mystics

centre Gillian Goring talks to Lorraine Waldropt about the long road from Malick Senior Comp to holding court in front of millions of basketball fans in

the US


Sports Illustrated described her as having been one of the most sought-after women's basketball recruits in the United States: "A 6-foot-7 center with rare agility and an array of post moves, she could run the floor, shoot the three and catch any pass that came anywhere close to her." The player in the spotlight was Gillian Goring, now signed to the Washington Mystics, who was born in Morvant.

The 24-year-old, who was home for Carnival, has made it to the NBA, the basketball player's Mecca. In the arena where you have to prove you're worthy to wear your gear and slam your dunk, where every player wants "to be like Mike [Michael Jordan], Shaquille O'Neal or, for entertainment sake, Dennis Rodman, Goring has arrived. "I never thought I would make it this far in basketball. I am really living my dream!"

 
Photos courtesy Washington Mystics

From "taking a sweat with the fellas" on the court at her alma mater, Malick Senior Comprehensive, Goring is now starring on ESPN, and has been featured in USA Today and Fox Sports. Her interest in basketball was sparked off at the early age of seven. Life wasn't easy in Morvant for her big family of eight. She had to help her mother make and sell pies to earn money. But she was always fascinated by

basketball.

"Sports was something I could always do," Goring told USA Today. "I'd have played any sport to get out of Trinidad. It's a great place to vacation, but it's hard to live there when you're in poverty. I loved basketball. I was releasing stress on the court." Her keen understanding of the game and her stick-to-it attitude gave her the edge she needed on the court. Of course her height was also an asset. She comes from a tall family - her mother is 6ft 3in, her dad an amazing 7ft, and her two brothers and three sisters are not too far behind.

At age 13, Goring earned her first national cap playing with the national under-19 team. A year later she was nominated for the WITCO Sportswoman of the Year Award. Soon enough she became a Junior Ambassador, representing T&T in England, Scotland and the US. "I had to stand before large audiences of prime ministers and presidents and speak about my country it was nerve-wracking but I was proud to do it!" she recalled.

After playing for Malick Senior Comp, Goring then played for Malick Eagles, which helped to develop her talent. As her rebounding, passing and ball-handling skills sharpened, word carried all the way to the US about a phenomenal 14-year-old in a Caribbean island called Trinidad.


Enter Mike Flynn, a powerbroker in the girls and women's basketball world in the States. When he heard about Goring, he paid for former Notre Dame star Karen Robinson to come here and track her down. Soon, Goring was on her way to the Philadelphia. Impressed with her promise, he met with her family and in 1998 became her guardian, assuming legal and financial responsibility for her. Flynn enrolled her at Germantown Academy in Pennsylvania, where she received a need-based scholarship for the annual tuition of about US$15,000.

So far so wonderful, but Goring's journey had only just begun. She had never used a computer before and although she played well for two seasons at Germantown Academy, academically she was in trouble. "...there had never been much emphasis on school when I was in Trinidad," she told Sports Illustrated. "As the star basketball player, I got away with everything. No one cared if you kept up your grades or not. It was tough making the transition to the U.S."

Germantown put Goring on an individually designed programme and provided tutors. "It was clear there were huge gaps in her educational preparation," says Jim Connor, Germantown's head of school. "It was also clear that she's really bright and has lots of artistic talent. She's one of the best people you could meet."

Over the next few years, Goring would battle with subjects like algebra, economics, Spanish and geometry, in her bid to pass the SATs and various exams. One of the requirements to play in the WNBA is completion of four years at college.

But on the court, she excelled. At Germantown she averaged 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks per game in her second season while leading the team to a 25-2 record.

She collected an armful of accolades, including being named to Parade and USA Today's All-America Second Teams and Street & Smith's First Team. In 2000, she moved to West High School in Waterloo, Iowa, where she played on the All Star Team and recorded 14 blocks in a single game. Her next move came in 2002, the University of Arkansas, where her bountiful blocks and dynamic dunks ensured her climb up the basketball continuum as she was named NJCAA All-American as a sophomore and was featured in ESPN The Magazine.

Finally, last year, after recovering from a series of injuries, she was signed by Washington Mystics as center.

"Playing with the Washington Mystics is very different to playing at the collegiate level," she said. "It's very competitive and I have to put out even more on the court." But this homegirl has her own therapies for dealing with the bright lights and pre-game nerves: she listens to reggae. "Playing in the WNBA can make you nervous at times, but you have to channel all your fears into positive energy for the game," she mused.

Last year she also tied the knot with her sweetheart, American football player Stephan Conley. "The day I got married was the happiest day of my life and I thank God that I was able to accomplish both my basketball and my romantic goals within such a short space of time," Goring said. "He supports me all the way in my sport and I'm very lucky to have him in my life."

Looking ahead, she wants to start a family while maintaining her career. She attributes her success to hard work, determination and a focused attitude. But above all things, she said, "Put God first in everything you do." This was how she was able to conquer all obstacles. And this homegirl hasn't forgotten where she came from. "I want to accomplish a few more goals in my lifetime, an important one being buying my mom a big house."
 
 

.
good things happening to good people: a good thing
good things happening to bad people: a bad thing
bad things happening to good people: a bad thing
bad things happening to bad people: a good thing

Offline Dutty

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 9578
    • View Profile
Re: WNBA star from Morvant
« Reply #1 on: February 23, 2008, 02:12:42 PM »
Good for her  :applause:...I know the WNBA women get paid peanuts compared to their male counterparts...but ah sure she will buy her mother that house


I certain I NEVER see ah woman dat tall in T&T, ,,,,,goin home in ah Maxi must be was stress!!
Little known fact: The online transportation medium called Uber was pioneered in Trinidad & Tobago in the 1960's. It was originally called pullin bull.

Offline zuluwarrior

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 3048
  • use your tongue to count your teeth
    • View Profile
    • http://pointalive.com
Re: WNBA star from Morvant
« Reply #2 on: February 23, 2008, 10:15:50 PM »
Ah glad fuh she anyhow ,becaus she glad for she self as shadow say poverty iz hell .
.
good things happening to good people: a good thing
good things happening to bad people: a bad thing
bad things happening to good people: a bad thing
bad things happening to bad people: a good thing

Offline capodetutticapi

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 10942
  • veni vidi vici
    • View Profile
Re: WNBA star from Morvant
« Reply #3 on: March 22, 2008, 08:41:41 PM »
once ah trini make it big anywhere i happy like pappy.imagine chippin dong de road fuh carnival with that.my short self she ass go be bangin meh chest.
soon ah go b ah lean mean bulling machine.

Offline Sando prince

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 9192
    • View Profile
Re: WNBA star from Morvant
« Reply #4 on: March 30, 2008, 02:31:03 PM »
Big Up  :beermug:

 

1]; } ?>