On October 20, the InspireU club, headed by juniors Jiya Birdi and Dylan Rich, hosted superstar WNBA former players Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor. The former athletes talked about their experiences in professional basketball and the importance of certain lessons they learned as their career progressed.
Taylor began the talk by discussing how she got involved in the sport: “Every night of the week, I would play [basketball], watch it,and I loved playing in a unit.” When talking about her early career, she mentioned her international career, where she played in places like China, Russia, and Italy. Both Taylor and Taurasi played in Turkey, where Taylor described “thousands of outraged fans, flying objects” before Taurasi butted in, saying that it felt like they were a “part of something bigger than ourselves.” Both of them drew similar conclusions about their time in Istanbul, saying a fan base like that gave them motivation, making them “want to do better for the club and the fans.” Dylan Rich, the co-leader of InspireU, said that “having [them] join us was an incredible experience.”
Taurasi weighed in on personal challenges, like coping with the fact that sometimes she “wasn’t the best on the team.” From that, she learned that “You can always build better habits.” Speaking of her immigrant family, she said that she felt a very strong sense to “work hard.” One important note by the two of them is that you shouldn’t “forget that it’s supposed to be fun,” and “the time for when it gets serious will come.” Taurasi also weighed on her retirement, stating, “It was a hard decision, moving on from everything I know. It’s a mental shift, and it comes in a lot of ways, both physically and mentally. Getting on the court got difficult, and I found myself putting in all this work to have a little bit more fun.”
When asked for a piece of advice, Taurasi responded with “just breathe.” She talked about how she learned it from her coach at the University of Connecticut, where she played in college, saying it was one of the most impactful messages she has learned in her career. Taylor said that you should “be in the moment, don’t worry about the consequences.” When the couple was asked about what they would do if they weren’t basketball players, Taylor responded saying that she wanted to be a dentist, while Taurasi said that she wanted to “go to school and study nutrition, or be an author.”
When the two were done answering questions from Jiya and Dylan, questions were turned to the audience. Madison Gordon asked a question on sophomore Logan Sheridan’s behalf, who was sitting next to her. Logan has recently faced an ACL injury, one which brings a long and strenuous recovery process. The question was about the process with injuries, and how the two superstars have managed it. Taylor said that it can sometimes be “hard to stay motivated, but every exercise is important. It’s all about the process.” Logan said that the “message was incredibly impactful” to herself, saying that she is focusing on that lesson during her recovery process.
The interview concluded with an offering of cookies by Taurasi. The club meeting was a fantastic kickoff for the InspireU Club, which is available for anyone to join, where members of the PCDS community can watch interviews with important and influential people. Past interviewees include Arizona Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick, world-renowned chef Scott Conant, and sixth-degree black belt and business owner Kenpo Master Henry Calantog. There is no doubt that Jiya and Dylan will continue to work hard to provide awesome interviews and lessons from legendary people that are in our community.
