THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2009
BACK TO SCHOOL
63
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
'Hoops 2 Heels' helps athletes build skills for future
BY JASON BAKER
jbaker@kansan.com
Sade Morris accomplished much during her basketball career. She was Gatorade's Player of the Year in 2006 while in high school and made the All-Tournament Team in the 2009 Women's National Invitational Tournament finals in college.
But there's one thing she missed out on perfecting during her time with Kansas basketball: a resume.
"I should know how to make one; I just don't," Morris, senior guard, said.
Fortunately for Morris and her teammates, making the transition from playing college basketball to working in the professional world is easier now with a program called "Hoops 2 Heels."
Trena Anderson, director of operations for women's basketball, started Hoops 2 Heels. The program is designed specifically to help the KU women's basketball team and other female athletes at the University build skills for their careers after college. Anderson said she got the idea from a similar program at the University of Oklahoma called "Sooner Stilettos."
For Morris and her teammates, their world consists of playing home
and road games, practicing, going to class and tutoring for four years. But Hoops 2 Heels aims to help them when they trade in their jerseys and sneakers for more work-appropriate attire.
Morris said the program gave her more ideas of what to do after college.
Morris said although she wanted to go into coaching, it was important to know what other opportunities were out there.
"I feel like I can fall back on this to get me to be prepared," Morris said.
Morris' teammate, sophomore forward Aishah Sutherland, said she wanted to learn more about networking.
"Maybe you'll see them later on; you never know who you will end up talking to," Sutherland said.
Sutherland said Hoops 2 Heels was something she and her teammates should all do because they didn't have the time to participate in activities regular students did.
"People think it's easy for us, but they don't understand." Sutherland said. "They need to be in a position like ours to know what we go through."
Junior forward Nicollette Smith shared a similar opinion.
"People make comments, like we're so lucky living the life, but that's not all that goes into it," Smith said. "We think they're lucky because they have a lot more free time."
like the etiquettes of golf, what type of pants to buy for an interview, and the importance of networking;" Anderson said.
seas," Anderson said. "It's intensified being on your own; there's no academic counselors to push you. This is real life."
Anderson said the teams' schedule was the main reason the players were unable to attend many campus events and club meetings.
Anderson said that Hoops 2 Heels was something she had been wanting to plan and that the program had the full support of coach Bonnie Henrickson. She said even if some of the players wanted to play professionally in the WNBA or overseas, they would still have to be prepared to get a job and network.
Anderson said she wanted to make Hoops 2 Heels as fun and creative as she could. She even had ideas such as creating a book of healthy recipes and offering financial advice. Anderson said she encouraged other female athletes to attend or even create a program of their own.
Anderson said she wished she had a program similar to Hoops 2 Heels when she was a track athlete at Southeast Missouri State University.
"In college I wish I knew things
"The players can't wear their jerseys 24 hours a day, even over-
Edited by Mike Bontrager