Another Season in the Books

Alonso Meana

Desde los 12 años Alonso sabía que el baloncesto era lo suyo y que se iba a organizar bien para poder seguir jugando y estudiando a la vez.  Después de un año compaginando la universidad con su equipo de LEB Oro en Oviedo, le surgió la oportunidad de irse a los EEUU a la Universidad de Springfield en Illinois.  Su año se ha quedado corto por lo que estamos viviendo todos ahora mismo con el Coronavirus, pero mirando hacía atrás esta muy satisfecho con su primera experiencia y deseando volver para seguir con lo académico y lo deportivo.  

Nick Novak

Motivation√

Positive attitude√ 

Ready to put in the work√

Nick Novak was somewhat of a tweener, on that rift between being a top D2 point guard or being a backup PG for a D1 school.  In the end, Nick decided to accept a D2 scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown where he proceeded to forge a name for himself.  Four years later Nick graduated with a diploma in Marketing and a desire to continue his basketball career.  Nick spent the whole summer away from Pittsburgh at IMG Academy in Florida, where he was able to work camps in compensation for personal training.  All summer long Nick worked on his game.  He didn't know if his agent would find him a job or not, but he kept working, preparing himself for the moment, if and when it arrived.  He took his first job in Germany and as the years went by he took jobs in Portugal, Romania and Spain.  His goal had always been to make it as a professional overseas and make it he did.  

Victoria Viñe

Desde muy joven Vicky tuvo que organizarse bien y hacer todo lo que estaba en su mano para poder con todo.  A veces pasaba hasta cuatro horas en el pabellón haciendo doble sesión, entrenando con su equipo y luego echando una mano al equipo de las mayores.  Con la energía y felicidad de una niña deportista y las ganas de una competidora, Vicky gozaba en la pista con sus compañeras y daba igual las horas que tuvo que echar.  A largo plazo su trabajo tuvo sus frutos y ella acabo siendo campeona de España en bastantes ocasiones y formando parte de los mejores equipos de su época.  Sus ganas de aprender, mejorar y seguir jugando le llevo a cruzar el charco y vivir durante cuatro años en el estado de Florida donde fue becada por Eckerd College.  Pasó un año en Bélgica y desde entonces está de vuelta en España donde sigue compaginando los estudios con el deporte de alto rendimiento.  Ella es un ejemplo del significado de las palabras, "no tirar la toalla."  Trabajo, constancia y mas trabajo.  La receta secreta de Victoria Viñe. 

Robyn Parks

Her older brother went to VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University) and was a scout guy for the women's basketball team.  One day the coaching staff asked him, "Do you have a younger sister named Robyn?"  Once he confirmed with a yes the staff proceeded to shout back, "WE WANT HER!"  Robyn played Division 1 basketball at VCU for four years, graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice and upon completing school started preparing herself for her first year as a professional overseas.  She's had an interesting journey, living in countries such as Hungry, Poland, Spain and Angola.  She's improved her game, grown as a person and seen parts of the world many of us never will.  We laughed our way through the majority of this interview, but that being said, Robyn dedicates hours to her trade and is constantly looking to learn and improve.  Hard work and an open mind are the two main factors she identifies when asked about the success and longevity of her career.

Mike Carlson

Sixteen years old, 6 foot 4 and 140 pounds, Mike Carlson was the weakest guy in the weight room; he fell over trying to do olympic lifts.  He had no college scholarship offers at the end of his senior year, but even so, he knew he wanted to play and was willing to do anything to make that dream a reality.  He played division III basketball his freshman year on the JV squad at Hope College in Michigan.  Five years later he was 6 foot 9, in his 5th year at Truman State University, being recognized as an All American and getting constant calls from agents wanting to sign him.  He was a nobody who converted himself into a somebody.  He was an underdog for years, and now he's in his 6th season playing professional basketball overseas.  His story is one of a kind and well worth listening to.  Find your passion, obsess over it and don't let it go.  

Angel Robinson

Angel Robinson is one of the best female basketball players the State of Minnesota has ever seen.  She was crowned Miss Basketball of Minnesota in 2007 and from there went on to play four seasons at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While at Marquette she accumulated awards in almost every category possible, sending her to the WNBA draft and getting picked up in the 2nd round by the New York Liberty.  15 minutes later she was being passed along to the Minnesota Lynx where she had to compete against some of the best players in the world for a spot on the roster.  Angel didn't make the last cut, but that wasn't the end of her basketball career.  Eight years ago she started playing overseas and has since played in a variety of countries including Turkey, Sweden, Switzerland, Puerto Rico, Poland, Romania and Spain.  Tune in to hear about her journey and how she's managed to be so successful post college.  

Alfredo Ott III

Alfredo Ott III has been playing professional basketball overseas since 2005.  Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, Fredo played college ball at Dillard University, graduated with a Visual Arts degree and then marketed himself to teams overseas and found his first job in England where he would play for two seasons.  After the 2007 season he got picked up by a team in Pamplona, Spain and has been forming part of playoff teams ever since in towns like Logroño, Azpetia, Palencia, Melilla, Castellon and Ourense.  Along with his professional basketball career, Fredo has been establishing himself as an artist and talented painter, bringing energy, insight and originality to every city he lives in.  Check him out on instagram @planet_ott

Suné Swart

Born in South Africa Suné grew up playing and watching sports like rugby, cricket, judo, tennis and track and field.  Basketball wasn't in the picture, in-fact, Suné had never seen anyone dribble a ball, let a lone shoot one.  In the 5th grade her family made a move that would take them from South Africa all the way to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where Su touched a basketball for the first time.  After deciding she didn't like the sport and that it was all too difficult and confusing she immersed herself in school theater, participating in all six school plays.  At the end of 9th grade her family moved one more time, this time to a small town in Pennsylvania.  At 6 foot 2 the basketball coach was bound and determined to get Su to play.  Being the team player she is, Su obliged, and from that moment on her future would change drastically.  Three years later she had graduated high school and was on her way to play Division 1 basketball at Bucknell University, for free. Four year later and a computer Science degree in hand, Su's off to Spain to test the waters as a professional basketball player, and that's where our paths cross... 

Aitana Cuevas Mediavilla

Aitana Cuevas y yo somos de la misma quinta, del 86', y cuando nacimos no teníamos la más mínima idea de que algún día nos tocará ser compañeras de equipo.  Aiti creció en Madrid mientras que yo crecí en Minnesota.  Cuando cumplió los 18 años ya empezó a conocer a su país, pasando por ciudades como son Zamora, Vilagarcía de Arousa, Burgos, Alcobendas y otra vez a Madrid y Estudiantes.  Ha recorrido mucho terreno durante los últimos 15 años y ha podido sacar provecho de dos mundos, el deportivo y el académico.  Ahora Aiti sigue disfrutando de ser jugadora profesional de baloncesto y dueña de su propio proyecto, cuidando y educando perros.  Una vida colorida que da gusto escuchar.    

Azania Stewart

From net ball to basketball, Azania knew she enjoyed team sports and that running track and field wasn't her thing.  At a young age Z said goodbye to family and friends, leaving London with a suitcase her next stop would take her across the Atlantic, bringing her to the state of Virginia where she would attend high school, play basketball and eventually say yes to a college scholarship at the University of Florida.  These teenage years for Z were survived without FaceTime, Whatsapp or Skype.  She wrote letters home and learned how to tough it out when times got rough.  She represented Great Britain in the Olympic Games of 2012, graduated and went on to enjoy a professional basketball career in Europe.  Two years into retirement, Z has color commentated for FIBA at the Women's Afro Basket Games in Senegal and in February of 2020 will commentate for FIBA once again at the Women's Olympic Qualifiers in Serbia.