There are two things just about every house in The Heartland (Indiana) has hanging up: a basketball hoop and a flag. Raised as a good old country girl, patriotism was woven into my psyche as a child. A year and a half my elder, my sister, Rachel, was my rival and my best friend growing up. Upon our graduations from Notre Dame, I proceeded to enter the WNBA as she found her passion in life in the Army. She fell in love with the camaraderie, purpose and challenge she found there, first becoming an Arabic linguist and then proceeding on to become a Blackhawk pilot. As I was preparing for the 2006 WNBA Finals, my sister was also preparing for battle — only the real one.

For those who have had loved ones bravely lose their lives to protect our freedom, my heart goes out to you. Thankfully, my sister was not one of them. Physically she returned a few months later to be medically discharged with severe depression and PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), but my best friend, the sister, the daughter, the wife, and the mother are in essence still missing in action. Since then, I have watched my sister battle an opponent far greater than one that I will ever face on the court — it is the one she faces every day in her mind.

There is a certain stigma when dealing with mental issues, as if it is a sign of weakness that should be only discussed in secret, if at all. When I was asked to write something for our upcoming Military Appreciation Night on Sept. 10th, I thought it was important for the 1 in 8 soldiers returning from service with PTSD and their families to know that we are so grateful for their sacrifices and service to our country!!

If ever there was a time when saying “thank you” just does not seem to be enough to show the level of gratitude that is trying to be conveyed, it is when it is directed toward our appreciation for the brave men and women who serve in our armed forces. San Antonio has a very large military presence, with 4 different bases in the area, so we are accustomed to seeing men and women in uniform at our games, throughout the city and in the airport. As we honor our military, I want to make sure that they understand that it is a continuous flow of appreciation, and that our gratitude extends to every branch of the military as well as their families. We recognize that their sacrifices are not an isolated instance or singularly experienced. There are spouses who are left to manage households on their own, children who have never met their fathers, and extended family members who spend countless hours worrying for loved ones. On behalf of the Silver Stars organization, we proudly salute you and are eternally grateful for your service!!!

Upon finishing the last page of the book, Invictus, I found myself flushed with emotions of joy, sorrow, hope and inquisition.  The setting of this book is one that I am especially fond of, because for the last three years, South Africa has been home to me during the month of December.  As my relationships deepen and my knowledge of their culture and history increase, I cannot help but be appalled at times of my own ignorance to the struggles South Africa has gone through and the injustices that occurred during apartheid.  I find myself amazed that in a modern world these atrocities still occur … and I cannot help but question: why?



Does history really have to repeat itself?  Even though it has in the past, can we finally learn the lessons of those before us without having to experience them first hand?  Is it because we do not share our knowledge with one another or seek understanding beyond that which impacts our everyday life that we must learn those lessons again ourselves?  Or are these tendencies of prejudice, pride and discrimination unfortunately ingrained in humanity?  I have come to the conclusion that it is probably a little of both.  Like most parents, my mother tried to give me guidance growing up to protect me from making the same mistakes she did . . . but there were also times where the life lesson could only be learned through experiencing the pain myself.  We try to teach our children right from wrong, but quite possibly these lessons cannot always be taught sometimes they must be learned on their own.



Invictus is such a powerful book, because it highlights the incredible leadership of Nelson Mandela and his ability as a leader to continually offer a hand of reconciliation where most of us would have been quick to offer retaliation.  If history must repeat itself, then let it also repeat the example that Mandela offers us all . . . one of vision, constantly seeking peace over revenge and humbly being the first to bridge the gap that prejudice so skillfully divided.



As I have mentioned before, sports provides an amazing platform that transcends the differences that exist in our everyday world concerning race, gender, religion and politics. Invictus also does a wonderful job of illustrating that it is not solely the athletes that are responsible for utilizing this powerful element of sports, the fans play a vital role as well.  As a player, I can tell you that I appreciate the passion that our fans exhibit—in the case of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, this passion was masterfully used to help heal and unite a nation.  Granted we are not overcoming an era immediately following apartheid here in the United States, but we are far from perfect in how we respect and understand one another.  Whether you are cheering for me or against me, please allow your passion to help you see that you have more in common with the person next to you this summer!

Thoughts on my recent trip: Over the last three years we have successfully developed relationships with sports and health care personnel in the area, educated the communities about HIV/AIDS and empowered them to do more efficient testing, and brought much needed equipment and gear.  More importantly we are seeing people within the communities take their own initiative.  We now have an executive team in place that is organizing the sports leagues and implementing the mandatory HIV education curriculum.  Previously our sports clinics have consisted of teaching skills to the players, but this year Ernie Nestor and I were actually able to conduct classroom sessions where we coached the coaches.  For the first time, athletes are taking the vision for their communities and their passion for the sport of basketball and are willingly sacrificing their desire to play so they can invest their time in coaching the generations behind them — and I was extremely excited to work with our first female basketball coaches!  Without a doubt there is much work for us to do, but we cannot help but celebrate the small victories along the way! (for more information go to: www.triadtrust.org)

This year, World Malaria Day proved to reinforce for me that Malaria is not just a problem in Africa and NBN is not just a campaign limited to the United States. It is a global issue and therefore a universal approach can and must be taken in order to provide a solution. Over the last two and a half years as a spokesperson for Nothingbutnets, I have traveled to Africa, saw first hand the devastating effects of malaria, came back to the US, shared passionately with you all what I saw, then went back to Africa as we delivered the nets you so generously provided. This year, my role as a spokesperson took a little detour as I found myself finishing up my basketball season overseas when April 25th rolled around.

Embracing the opportunity to create awareness in Spain, I partnered with Canal plus to produce a Celebrity basketball game. In my career, I have played in many games and have had the honor of wearing jerseys representing numerous different teams, but when I looked down and saw the simple words:

(“a game against malaria”) where USA, Notre Dame, and San Antonio have been positioned across my chest before. . . I was reminded that this was not my normal basketball game. No, there was no preparation or scouting beforehand. In all actuality, our opponent (a tiny organism called plasmodium, that causes malaria) would not be wearing a uniform or even participating in the game.

The unique thing about this game is that at the end of the day there is no winner or loser, because we are all on the same team. I am extremely grateful to the T.V. personalities, politicians, Olympians, teammates, coaches and legendary Spanish men’s basketball players for volunteering their time to participate in the game. I was encouraged by the response of the Spanish people, and their eagerness to join the Nothingbutnets campaign and our fight against malaria. This year, World Malaria Day gave me a new perspective. I learned that it does not matter where in the world you live, creating awareness invokes the same desire by people to help. The solution is the same regardless where you live: send a net, save a life . . . or as we say in Spain, “Envía una red. Salve una vida.”

En Español

Este año, el Día Mundial contra la Malaria no vino más que a reforzar mi idea de que la malaria no es solo un problema en África y Nothingbutnets (Nada pero Redes) no es solo una campaña limitada a los Estados Unidos. Es un problema global y por lo tanto un enfoque universal que puede y debe ser tratado a fin de darle una solución. Durante los dos últimos años y medio como embajadora de Nothingbutnets, he viajado a Africa observando de primera mano los devastadores efectos de la malaria, volví a los Estados Unidos, compartí con todos vosotros lo que había visto, entonces regresé a África para repartir las redes que vosotros tan generosamente nos habíais proporcionado. Este año, mi rol como embajadora se desvío un poco de modo que terminé mi temporada de baloncesto en Europa el dia 25 de abril.

Asi que tuve la oprtunidad de intentar concienciar a la gente en España, me asocié con Canal Plus para producir un partido de gente famosa. En mi carrera, he jugado muchos partidos y he tenido el honor de llevar puestas camisetas de numerosos equipos, pero cuando miro atrás y veo las simples palabras: Un partido contra la malaria donde USA, Notre Dame y San Antonio han estado puestas antes…Yo puedo ver que no es un partido normal. No hay ningún tipo de preparación o scouting antes. En la actualidad, nuestro oponente ( un diminuto organismo llamado, plasmodium, que causa la malaria) no llevaría puesto ningún uniforme ni participaría en el partido.

La única cosa acerca del partido es que al final del día no habrá ningún ganador ni perdedor, porque todos nosotros estamos en el mismo equipo. Yo estoy muy agradecida a las personalidades de la T.V, políticos, deportistas olímpicos, compañeras de equipo, entrenadores y jugadores españoles legendarios por apoyar esta causa y participar en el partido. Estuve muy contenta por la respuesta de la gente de España, y su afán de unirse a la campaña Nothingbutnets y nuestra lucha contra la malaria. Este año el Día Mundial contra la Malaria me dió una nueva perspectiva.Aprendí que no importa en que parte del mundo vivamos, siendo conscientes invocamos el mismo deseo a la gente para ayudar. La solución es la misma a pesar de donde vivamos: Envía una red. Salva una vida.