When senior center Tearra Banks is on the court, it's a challenge for anyone to stop her. Last season, her 59.8 field goal percentage ranked first in the Ohio Valley Conference and fifth nationally, and she was also a defensive force in the paint. But off the hardwood, Banks is one of the most entertaining and outgoing student-athletes you will ever meet.
This is Tearra's story, in her own words.
I fell in love with basketball
I was 6-3 in the eighth grade, so my dad told me I should pick a sport. I picked basketball and ended up loving it.
My dad played and he really loved the game. To see how much he loved the game made me want to love it as well, because I'm a daddy's girl. When I started playing, I fell in love with it just as much as he does.
All of my sisters played. One older sister played but she had to stop because of her shoulder. I have a sister who is now in the military who played and I loved watching her. As a child growing up, I always wanted to play with her and be like her. That was another thing that made me love basketball, because she was so outgoing and it brought so much of her personality out even though she was a quiet person.
At the time, I had only been living in Louisville for two years after moving from Alabama. I went to Shawnee High School my freshman year, but the following year, decided to transfer. When you transfer schools in Louisville you have to sit out, so I ended up moving to Ballard High School which was a good location and it gave me great opportunities, basketball-wise and educationally.
My dad would always tell me, "You have the ability to go play in college and to get a free education." He would joke and say, "The only way you're going to college is if you get a scholarship, because I'm not paying for it." I knew I wanted to go to college, and I didn't want my parents to pay for it, so basketball was a great way to get the scholarship I wanted.
My friends always told me college is fun and the workouts are the same as high school.
They lied to me. The workouts are nothing like high school!
Don't get me wrong, they are supposed to be challenging, but I was expecting that high school vibe of practice…no, not at all.
An overall better feeling
Coach Midlick told me I needed to get in shape so I could help the team. From high school to college, I picked up a lot of pounds, so another motivation for me was doing it for myself. I wanted to be comfortable and feel better about running on the court. Not being able to play really affected me, so I needed to be sure I could be in shape and help my team. Last season, I could help at some points, but there were times where I was too tired to do anything. My knees were already bad, so having extra weight didn't help that either.
As I look at things differently now, I feel ten times better. I run ten times better and I can do more things than I could ever do last year. It's just an overall better feeling.
I'll take this team over any others
It flusters you to hear people say, "What are they going to do now?" It makes you feel like you have to step up to take on that leadership role. Getting to know the freshmen, hearing them say they look up to me makes me want to better myself. I don't want to set a bad example for them to follow. I've made a lot of mistakes, but now that I'm a senior, I'm trying to correct myself and be that positive role model that the freshmen can look up to.
This is one of the best teams I've been a part of. We're coming together and playing together. People can have low expectations for us, and that's fine, because I love nothing more than being an underdog. We have a mindset to prove people wrong. I know for a fact I will put everything I have up against anyone in the OVC, because we are a team and we're going to fight for each other. At the end of the day, I'll take this team over any others.
Jingle Bells
I dance every day of my life, and I sing too even though people say I can't. I'm a fun person. Dancing and singing brings out my personality and makes me have fun.
People don't know this, but my favorite song to sing is Jingle Bells. Every time it comes on, it puts me in a different mindset. Why do I have love Jingle Bells so much? I have no idea, but it's by far my favorite song and I will sing it every day no matter what season it is.
To the fans…
I would like to tell you thank you. Throughout the years, you have been loyal and believed in us no matter the situation. You've always been there and supported us, so I would just like to tell you thank you for that.
