Her name is Sonja Tate.
If you were ever blessed to watch her play, you realize she was a gift to the game.
No, she probably isn't the greatest women's basketball player of all time, but she was the greatest of an era. Arguably, she was the greatest in the state at that time. Undeniably, she was one of greatest to play the game at Arkansas State, in my opinion. I can say this because I got to witness her every day. I can say it because I had to guard her every day in practice and go against her in drill after stinkin' drill! More than that, I witnessed her almost single-handedly destroy opponents. Yes.... she was the greatest around then and can probably still handle most, twenty years later.
My freshmen year at ASU we struggled through a mediocre season. We got beat by National Champion, Louisiana Tech, by nearly triple digits. Yes, do the math, that's way bad. The next year, however, was a different story. And the difference was Sonja. She stands a mere 5'7' at best. But her cat-quickness and innate court awareness made up for every bit that her frame lacked. She still holds records for points scored, steals, and REBOUNDS. Did you catch that? Rebounds! At 5'7". She could jump out of the gym! She still holds record for triple-doubles. By my senior year, we beat the aforementioned Louisiana Tech on our home floor. She was the sparkplug that drove our team. Sure, there were other good players on our team, but she was our catalyst.
I must interject here, that in addition to being one of the greatest players of her time, she was also one of the greatest at clowning around. Her nickname, and the name that sounds most normal to me to this day, is Boz....short for Bozo...as in, the clown! I have run more line drills for her shananigans than I care to think about. But something about her contagious, goofy laugh made it easy to forget those things. :)
I learned alot from Sonja. The biggest lesson I learned was that everyone has a role to play. In high school, I was often the leading scorer and also led in steals and assists. During key moments, the ball was comfortably in my hands. During college, that all changed. My job was to get the ball in Sonja's hands as often as I could. I realized that if I wanted to win, it wasn't about me. My role was now a completely different one.
I distinctly remember a practice during my junior year that drove this point home.... I recall it so well that I clearly remember we were on the south end of the floor in the Convocation Center and my practice jersey was on the red side. As we ran through our offense, I felt the liberty to take a shot from the top of the key. My assistant coach, who always watched from a bent-knee under the basket, came out from his spot and yelled at what seemed the top of his lungs, "Do NOT take another shot! That's NOT your job!" In time, I realized that he didn't specifically mean ever, but the message was loud and clear. As the 5'6' white-girl point guard, my job was to execute the offense and get it into our key scorers' hands. By recognizing my role, as well as my limitations, we had a better chance of succeeding.
Today, as I was reflecting on Sonja's incredible accomplishments, I found myself very thankful for getting to play with one of the greats. Because of her, I experienced wins that I wouldn't have otherwise. Because of her, I recognized that greatness is relative. But more importantly, because of her, I also learned how important it is to accept your role and know your limits.
In the game of life, we get to experience THE Great Player of all time. He is our Ultimate Go-To, our Star, and our Headliner. His name is Jesus. With Him, our role is one of submission. With Him, we accomplish so much more than we could alone. With Him, all things are possible. He's our sparkplug. He creates miracles and turns the odds in our favor. He wins. Always. Our role is to accept Him, His authority, and bring Him honor. We can fight His authority and shoot the ball when we should've passed it, or we can accept His gentle coaching for the greater good of our lives.
I'm glad to have played with Sonja. I'm thankful to have learned about the importance of playing the role that is meant for me. I'm even thankful for the coach that yelled at me to never shoot the ball again. It's ultimately not about me. It's about seeing the bigger picture.
Congratulations to you, Sonja. I'm selfishly thankful our paths crossed.
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