Women’s basketball sophomore point guard Daidra Brown (Seattle, Wash.) recently sat down with GoSeattleU.com to talk about her first season at Seattle U. Brown, a junior college transfer, attended Kennedy High School, less than three miles from the Seatte U campus, and is excited about the opportunity to return to her hometown to continue her playing career.
GoSeattleU (SU): What has it been like playing basketball back in Seattle?
Daidra Brown (DB): In terms of playing in Seattle, it has been great. I have a lot of support and everybody’s texting me because they want to come to the games. Everybody is here cheering me on, so I have a lot of support. My mom is here, obviously, and that’s where I get my inspiration. It feels good to be back home.
SU: What was the biggest thing that surprised you about coming to Seattle U?
DB: I would say school. I went to a private high school and I thought it would be similar academically, but then I can here, the academics definitely are challenging.
SU: Basketball wise, how did it feel when you first started, being the new player?
DB: Everyone was really nice to me, and I was friendly with everyone. I feel like I adjusted pretty well. I feel like we all clicked. [Fellow point guard] Elle [Kerfoot] is one of my best friends on the team, we blended very well.
SU: Going forward, what are some of your goals for the second half of the season?
DB: Our team goals are to keep creating an identity for our team, like we’re hard working and don’t give up. Win or lose we are going to be known as the team that doesn’t give up and plays for the whole 40 minutes. As for personal goals, let my defense speak for itself and let my defense control my offense, rather than my offense controlling my defense.
SU: You have been on the road a lot, how do you balance that with school?
DB: We keep up on our rest, between the traveling and the games. I also need to always make sure I communicate with my professors and stay focused on school and basketball at the same time.
SU: How hard is that balance between school and basketball?
DB: It has been pretty tough, but study hall has made it a lot easier. Study hall really helps me balance school and basketball. It is easy to get overwhelmed with basketball, because we do a lot of basketball-related stuff outside of just practice. Study hall is my time to just focus on studying.
Fans can check out Brown and the rest of the Redhawk women’s hoops team this weekend. Seattle U hosts Chicago State on Saturday, Jan. 29, at 4 p.m.