Name:
Jill Stephens
Team:
Cincinnati Bearcats
Hometown:
Mineral Wells, West Virginia
What playing college basketball means to me:
I guess, to me, college basketball is an opportunity to continue to do something I love to do and go to school. It is teaching me the importance of teamwork and showing me what I can really do. Playing college sports gives you the tools you need to be unbelievably successful in everything you do in life.
What I expected college basketball to be:
I expected it to be hard. I knew it would be physically, as well as, mentally demanding. I kind of got to cheat because my sister, Anne, played for UC so I knew what it was like for her.
What it really is:
What I didn’t expect was how close my teammates and I would be. In high school, my best friends and I didn’t play the same sports usually. What we had in common went beyond sports and into who we are. I never expected to find the same thing in my teammates.
Advice I would give to someone wanting to play basketball in college:
I guess my advice would be to stay with it. Work really hard and expect to keep doing it. Most of all you have to believe in yourself and never lose sight of what the game means to you and why you love it.
Why I love playing basketball:
I love basketball because the possibilities are limitless. This game gives me the opportunity to be as good as I want to be. It also gives me the chance to do amazing things. I get to see a lot of wonderful places and meet so many unbelievable people. The sky is the limit.
The women’s player that’s most fun to watch right now is...
Diana Taurasi. She is amazing. There aren’t very many people who can play the game the way she does.
Having the opportunity to play professional basketball after college...
If that opportunity is there, I’ll definitely do it, but it isn’t a must. Right now I can’t see myself without it, but I’ll have to see where I am at in my life then.
I'd go crazy on a road trip without...
A book, music, and my own pillow. I don’t like to sleep on hotel pillows because I’m afraid I’ll get a stiff neck.
A teammate (past or present) that I’ve been the most inspired by is (and why)...
My little sister, Kim. She wasn’t blessed with as much height or natural athleticism as my older sister and I, but she works extremely hard. She has decided she wants to play basketball in college, and I have no doubt that not only will she do it, but she will be extremely successful as well.
Three things I'd like to do before I die...
I really want to travel. I am definitely going to go to Italy. I want to go to Venice and Rome. I want to tour the Vatican and everything there is to see in Rome. Then I’m going to visit Karen in Switzerland. Other things I want to do are get married and have a family, and I want to learn to play the guitar.
Why academics are important to me...
Academics are important to me because it teaches me what I need to know for my job. I have to learn everything I can now, so when I am working in the field, I will know how to treat every patient and I’ll be able to give them the best therapy possible. The more I learn now; the better I will be later.
An aspect of my game that I'd really like to improve is...
I definitely need to become a better ball handler, but what I want to improve the most is my mentality. I need to have the mentality that no one is better than me.
Website I Visit Most Often:
I guess my email.