Tonight the Naismith Hall of Fame will induct the best guard that I’ve ever played with in my professional career and that is T  Teresa Edwards. I first remember T when she was a guest speaker at an AAU tournament I played in. She said in her speech with her gold medals wrapped around her neck that it doesn’t matter if you come from a small town as she did,  you can still reach your dreams. That really stuck with me because I had big dreams and I was also from a small town.

I got a chance to play with her my first year pro in the ABL with the Philadelphia Rage. T Teresa Edwards took me under her wing and always taught me the little things that could help me be a better player. In practice I would just watch as T shut down anybody she guarded. T was just as persistent on offense as she was on defense. She was a workaholic and the  passion and energy she played showed each and ever game.  Playing with T was the first time I had met someone that hated to lose more than me.

In practice and games I often caught myself watching her and even though she was doing everything on the court she would catch me and say “YO Baby Steps (her nickname for me) Wake UP!” I used to get picked on by the other rookies on the team because T was always pulling me to the side to get on me or tell me little things. I remember she had me on the sideline one day just  trying to get me to  make harder and more crisp passes. She taught me that my follow through on my passing was just as important on my shot.  T stayed on me and taught me alot and I know I became a better player for it.

I’m excited to see her get inducted tonight and it was a blessing to play with her.  The media has been saying her name is one of the lesser known names to be inducted tonight  but for me it’s the most well known. Teresa Edwards set the standard for women’s basketball she was one of the most fierce players to ever play the game and an even better leader. Congrats T Edwards!