PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: Playing Overseas, Lydia Giomi Finds Self-Confidence and a True Connection to the Game
Photo credit: Luis Garcia Rodriguez
After chatting with Lydia Giomi about her life as a professional basketball player for Ensino, in Lugo, Spain, and diving into her past as a high school and college athlete, I was surprised to hear that she had often struggled with self-confidence. Having coached Lydia in high school, I know that her basketball skills, as well as her positive attitude, were an integral part of West Seattle’s success, yet throughout most of Lydia’s lifetime she didn’t always feel that she belonged on the court. I’m excited to share more about Lydia’s journey and how her time in Spain has helped her to find balance and build confidence, both on and off the court.
Lydia has been playing professional basketball in Spain for four years. Before playing overseas, she played for the University of Oregon where she was part of three straight Pac-12 regular-season championship teams, and two Pac-12 Tournament Championship teams. She finished her Oregon career with 259 total points (Career shooting percentage 57.9%), 125 rebounds, 29 blocks, 24 steals and 21 assists, helping Oregon to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including the program’s first-ever Final Four in 2019. She also won a USA Basketball 3×3 National Title in 2019, playing with Sabrina Ionescu, Ruthy Hebard and Oti Gildon.
At West Seattle High School Lydia was a Two-Time Metro League MVP. During her senior year she averaged 15.2 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 2.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game and was named to the All-State team. As a junior she averaged 14.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 3 blocks per contest and was named to the 2015 Seattle Times All-Star team and the All-State team. She helped West Seattle go undefeated in league, win the Metro League Tournament Title and go on to place 5th in state. Lydia […]
PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: Jasmine Gayles on Basketball, Life and Giving Back
Photo credit: Chris M. Leung
When I asked Jasmine Gayles about joining the 40-Point Club, with the likes of Caitlin Clark and Mikaylah Williams, she brushed it off. (The 40-Point Club is for players who score more than 40 points in a game during one season). She didn’t brush the question aside in a bad way, but in a way that I understood she had more important things to talk about. And she did. Through our conversation I was inspired by her kindness, her insight into the game, and her desire to give back.
Jasmine is a guard for the University of San Francisco, who was named West Coast Conference player of the week twice this season. Jasmine, a graduate student, is currently the leading scorer for the team, averaging 16.8 points a game. In her 40-point game against Pacific, she added 4 assists, shot 60 percent from the field and made 17 of 22 free throws. The University of San Francisco Dons were picked to place 7th going into the league this season, but finished tied for 3rd and will travel to Las Vegas for the 2024 West Coast Conference Championships.
Before coming to University of San Francisco, Jasmine played two years at Northern Colorado averaging 8 points per game her freshman year and 11.7 points per game her sophomore year. In high school, Jasmine was a 3-year captain at West Seattle High School where she led her team to two district titles, scored over 1000 points and was named West Seattle High School Player of the year.
Jasmine, how does it feel to be part of the 40-point club?
It’s a good feeling of course, accomplishments are fun, but I think the group that I was able to do it with made it so much more special. You don’t get to […]
PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: Partner Up and Improve Your Ball Handling
Do you have someone to partner with to work on your ball- handling skills? If not, you should reach out and find someone because working with a partner can help.
With a partner, you improve through accountability and sharing knowledge. Plus, practicing with a friend makes training fun.
ACCOUNTABILITY
With a partner, you create accountability. If you make plans to meet a teammate two or three times a week, there is a better chance that you will practice. You depend on each other to show up.
Working out with a partner will help you stay encouraged and engaged practicing even the most basic drills.
If you stand across from one another, you’re on your way to being able to see the court better when you’re dribbling the ball during a game.
Better yet, have your partner hold up a few fingers at a time while you call out how many fingers they’re holding up. Have your partner change the count while you’re doing the drill to challenge your focus.
BASIC BALL HANDLING DRILLS
Consider the following to help improve your skills:
Ball Slaps
Slap the ball from one hand to the other.
Wraps
Circle, or wrap, the ball around different parts of your body. Try your head, waist, ankles, both knees, one knee at a time (both knees, both directions). And last try a figure 8 wrap in both directions. Bring the ball between your legs from the front side of your body, wrap around one leg then back through the front and around the other leg. Then go in the other direction.
Straddle Switch
Start with your knees shoulder-width apart and bent. Hold the ball […]
PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: “I Like You” Team Building
When I was coaching we did “I Like You” team building. It’s simple yet powerful. I handed out papers to the entire team that had the words, “I like you…” printed across top of the page, and inspiring quotes about teamwork at the bottom, and a blank space with blank space between. Each player got an “I like you” paper for each teammate. (ex: If you have a team of ten, each player gets nine papers). Next the players write each of their teammates names on an I like you paper. Then the fun begins.
I asked the players to write down things that they like about their teammates. First-timers to this activity often take a while to get going but players that have done it before grab their papers and spread out around the locker room or court and get to work.
“Sarah I like you because you are such a good friend on and off the court, and you’re a total stud on defense.”‘ “Olivia I like you because you show us how to work hard everyday and you never give up. Never! Not to mention you can always make me laugh when I’m having a bad day.”, “Katie I like you because you can shoot the lights out, you rebound like a beast and I can talk to you about anything. you’re the best!”
When the players are done they put the papers in a big pile. That night I would divide the papers up so all the like names are together, and then I staple them into a little book. When the girls would get to the locker room before our next game, I would hand out the I Like You’s so that each player could theirs, while they were getting ready. There is no better way to […]
Meet Sonya
Meet Sonya
Sonya Elliott’s memoir, Back on the Court: A Young Woman’s Triumphant Return to Life, Love & Basketball, is her story of finding hope in the wake of tragedy after she and her fiancé were hit by a train. She blogs about writing, basketball, and life and is currently working on a Young Adult Novel and a Non-Fiction Coaching book. Stories of her career as a fashion model are woven through her memoir, as both the Soloflex and Easy Spirit Shoes commercials were filmed during that time period, and this unique and intriguing business continues to be a part of her life.
Sonya played basketball at Eastern Washington University and was a starter for the Big Sky Champion team that went to the 1987 NCAA tournament. She coached for almost 25 years and was voted Seattle Times Coach of the Year, Seattle Officials Women’s Basketball Association Coach of the Year, and twice voted Metro League Coach of the Year. She loves the game of basketball and is thankful, not only for her husband and kids but for her ability to continue to get back on the court.
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LIFE: Perspectives from Mt. Whitney
Life is all about perspective, isn’t it? And the experiences we share can be similar or different, depending on our perspective of life, and on what is happening within us. This summer I climbed Mt. Whitney with my daughter, her fiance’ and their friends. I wrote about the climb in, One Step at a Time, and Charli’s wrote about it at Charli’s Chronicles. Both stories are, all at once alike, and wildly different. Enjoy!
One Step at a Time
I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into, but I didn’t care. I had felt numb inside since my dad’s death, and I figured a good hike might clear my mind. I had been given the opportunity to summit Mt. Whitney, the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states. A grand mountain. One built of formidable white granite spires that lift skyward to a place where […]
PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: Carmen Cruz on Connection, Team Culture and Finding Her People
I was eager to talk to Carmen Cruz, an athlete at the University of Puget Sound, thinking that an interview with an incoming freshman would give a good perspective for young readers. A peek into the first few months of college when things can be new and exciting, and also overwhelming. Especially as an athlete. And what I found in Carmen, was a young woman who was prepared for the change. Maybe not knowingly, but I sensed a strength in her to find the positive, in any situation. When we spoke, she was hoping to finally be cleared to practice again after having sustained a concussion earlier in the season. But, when I asked her about the time she’d spent off the court, and the scrimmage that she’d missed, she wasn’t too concerned, her focus was on her new team, how well they had played, and the future they all […]
PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: The No Trophy Coach
When my son was young I heard him explain to a friend, “I would have twice as many trophies, but my mom coaches me some of the time.” It made me smile. I coached my kids in youth basketball, T-ball and flag football. And when I was head coach at the youth level, they never got a trophy, nor did any of the other athletes on the team. I wanted all of the kids to play because they wanted to play, not because they were going to get a trophy.
I wanted them to have fun.
In my opinion participation trophies are a waste. The athlete is always excited about the trophy when they first get it, and then they’re not. It’s just another trophy on the shelf that takes up space, collects dust and then eventually finds it’s way to a garbage can.
There are better ways to encourage kids to play […]
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