How to Get Good Grades while Playing Girls Basketball Part I

Interview by Patosha Jeffery

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I graduated high school as co-salutatorian along with a basketball teammate of mine, Sabrina Vaughn. This basically means we were tied for the 2nd highest grade point average in our graduating class. I caught up with Sabrina and decided to ask her how did she do it. I know the things I did to maintain good grades while playing basketball but I wanted to know exactly what she did.

PJ) Sabrina what have you been doing since graduating high school?
SW) Since graduation, I have been busy furthering my education and working hard to establish my career as “the national motivational speaker that DELIVERS!” Additionally, I’ve been working hard to be spiritually, mentally, and physically fit.

PJ) As a professional speaker, who do you normally cater your speeches to?
SW) Most speakers find their niche for speaking and they cater to that one audience. However, when I continued to search my soul I quickly realized that my passion was for women and youth. Therefore, I tailor my speeches to specifically target these two groups.

PJ) Where do you speak and are you limited to the city that you are in or do you travel?
SW) I speak all over the United States and I literally mean all over! I’ll travel to large or small cities because I think people everywhere can benefit from my personal and professional experiences that I uniquely deliver in my presentations. I hope to one day see my first international speaking engagement come to pass. That would be awesome!

PJ) Do you have a web site where people can get more information about you?
SW)Certainly! www.sabrinavaughndelivers.com

PJ)Let’s get into the topic of how to get good grades as a girl’s basketball player. How did you do it?
SW)Honestly, I’ve always felt that there is no excuse for substandard classroom performance. But, I can’t take the credit all by myself. My parents were a great support system and expected nothing less than stellar academic performances each six weeks.

PJ)What was your secret to making good grades? I know for me one simple technique I used was I knew what I wanted. I set a goal each six weeks or each grading period to have a certain grade point average. SW)My secret is simple. I did what was expected of me in the classroom. On days when we had basketball games, I always tried to complete my homework during lunch or immediately after school. Naturally, you need time to prepare your mind before the game, but a solid 60 minutes after school can take you a long way! I’d like to add that avoiding procrastination was also beneficial. Female student athletes should always be prepared.

PJ)What would you consider to be a main technique that you used?
SW)As young ladies, we begin to observe our mothers and grandmothers and internalize that being a woman comes with several responsibilities. As a result, young ladies always have more house chores and so it is extremely imperative to learn time management at a young age because you’ll one day be looking womanhood in the face! Thus, I consider time management the most effective technique for female athletes to acquire because of various activities that most be planned daily. How can anyone excel without a plan? Ladies, proper planning is essential and will assist you as you make the transition from high school to college athlete.

PJ) To make good grades how would you rate discipline into the equation? Do you feel you have to be a disciplined individual or can you just do what you want to do when you want to do it?
SW)I would rate self-discipline right under time-management because once you decide how to manage your time you will still need the self-discipline to stick to your plan. Your coach, parents, and other family can want success for you, but you must hold yourself accountable for your actions.

PJ) We generally took the same classes in high school. And we practically hung around the same people who all made good grades.. Do you think if we hung around people who did not value making good grades, that we would still made the grades that we made?
SW) Tough question Patosha. I believe that I would have been successful if I wouldn’t have surrounded myself with academically inclined group at Hamilton. Although we took classes with like-minded classmates, our high school was full of those individuals that weren’t in search of academic excellence. I’ve walked by several students cutting class and disrespecting teachers, I’m a leader not a follower. I pride myself on being a strong individual that is capable of leading by example. On the hand, if you know that you succumb easily to peer pressure then I think it is vital for that particular person to ONLY surround themselves with people that are he aded in the same direction. I challenge all female athletes to lead by example!

PJ) Sabrina, I really appreciate you taking the time to share this information. Are there any final thoughts that you would like to share?
SW) My challenge to all of you is to be the best YOU! There are several superstar athletes in the WNBA that are going to be legends for a lifetime. This is a great accomplish, but even if you never reach that plateau in basketball remember that you were created for a purpose. Use basketball as an opportunity to build life skills and lasting friendships that will last forever. More importantly, enjoy your youth and cherish each day that you are blessed to see and not to mention each lay-up, three-pointer, or dunk you make. There where games that I only hit 2 points, but those could have been the 2 points my team needed. Be a team player in every phase of your life. Keep growing, Keep shining, Keep up the good work!