"Dream come true"

Its been a while since I've written and so much has happened since then...I want to tell you it all in addition to the all the other things I want to share.....I'll try my best to consolidate!


The week has been insane for me. As soon as I arrived here, the team was ready for me to jump right in and play immediately..well obviously, they are 5 months into the season already.  As a point guard you take on the job of having to know the plays to a tee, the girls and the way they play, time and situation, and just being a coach on the floor. That is a lot to ask of someone who just arrived, but I was up to the task before even arriving here. Besides, I've been a point guard since I started playing basketball, this is what I do!


That's difficult enough in itself, like I said in my "Introduction" post..lets add in your personal life and it FEELS as though no one else in the world is dealing with as many things as you are at once. (Which is most likely furthest from the truth) 


The title of my blog is LOVE&baskidneyball and I have been contemplating how I am going to address the "LOVE" part of my life without exposing so much of what I believe should be something people keep between them and that special person, but that is just my opinion. I'm thinking how do I share what I know without doing that, so I came up with this...


If you haven't already, you will learn that the basketball world both men and women combined is it's own community.  The longer your in it, the smaller it truly grows-from college even into the professional level.  We know each other, relate to each other, become fans of each other, and because of this, we inevitably date one another! Basketball is a grind! The level of competition has only become increasingly better over the years while the players are only becoming more skilled. Sometimes you just can't afford to take 6 months off and expect another opportunity. Some of us can't afford to waste our time so consumed in a relationship that you lose focus in your own dreams. It happens, I've seen it. I did this when I felt like my life fell apart for me. I let a relationship encourage me find good reasoning in the decision I made about not going overseas, and he didn't encourage me otherwise. I often think without that would I have been able to fight that urge to quit off. As time went on I only grew to realize that he was only another REALLY negative factor in my life. Somehow, in the strange way the world works, when I eliminated that-(which was a fight till the end), my fight towards another basketball career begun. So I am extremely gracious for this opportunity because like I said before, it doesn't always work in your favor.  


The thing is, things like this can linger. I'm grateful to have learned from this and to now been only focused on Dawn and what I can do to better me and make MY OWN dreams come true.


So when I got "THAT" random phone call this weekend (like..."so OH now because I'm back on track")..I knew exactly what to do..I had better things to worry about, I could only think....




 ...SUNDAY IS GAMEDAY!! My first game day since we lost to Oklahoma in the first found of the NCAA tournament, by far the worst game of my college senior year by the way when my team needed me most, single elimination, with the world watching..UGH!!!! Anyway...yea BUTT the first game was great! The feeling of GAMEDAY is one universal feeling that I think all athletes understand. Feelings of excitement, anxiousness, concentration, and determination are bouncing around all in the pit of your stomach. Then, the whistle blows, the game starts and its gone and before you know it the game is over and your either celebrating or not depending on the outcome. 


Well...We won by 40 and for my first performance on this team as the starting pt guard, I played well and I look forward to growing with these girls during my stay here in Vienna! It's just the beginning of a "Dream come true"

"Hang my sneaks"

It is Day 4 here in Vienna, Austria and I have had an amazing time so far. Now that surprises me with the horror stories I have heard about basketball abroad.  People warned me that it would be cold and lonely and the way the language barrier was described I could only think of being in a Charlie Brown world of "womp womp" like...huh?? 


The cold well....it is really cold but it is absolutely gorgeous during the day, and coming from Clarksville, TN the city life here in Vienna eliminates that. Lonely...Yes, I spend a lot of time alone which in reality is time I spend on Skype but I enjoy most of the "me" time and any other spare moments I'm with Kachine (Kash) and Nicole (Nic) who are the other Americans on the team. I still will introduce you to these two...Love them already!!  And as far as the language barrier I think I enjoy being marveled at like I'm talented for being "foreign", up until they start talking about us....which they make completely obvious unlike after a long month of basketball practice, getting a pedicure and the nail technician is expressing out loud how horrible your feet look in Vietnamese, without ever once looking up.


I love the overseas life, but that's just me...but I think my perspective is different from most...


I originally signed a contract to play in Russia after I went undrafted, which I might add, is one of the most competitive countries to play in for women. But the issues of my health lingered all the way to Russia and I was again being questioned. Although everything was cleared up and my planned trip to Russia was still intact, and the contract was completely signed anyway....I just became fed up! The doubt of so many came down on me like a bag of bricks. I called my agent and said I was done. I told him that my life was destined in a different direction. 


My boyfriend at the time really didn't want me to leave him, but encouraged me to follow my dreams. So  I spent so many days and nights contemplating if I made the right decision. Acting has always been a passion of mine since I moved out to Burbank, California and pursued acting before I even became serious about basketball. One day I figured it out...I must just pack up and move to Atlanta to pursue my career in acting once again, and this way I can be within driving distance from my boyfriend. 


So..I went. I actually booked an independent film, and would you get this..about basketball. This restarted my life as an actress. I worked part time and went to acting classes, working on my script and just improving everything I had learned prior. At this point you would think I finally found the direction in life I was looking for... 6 months passed I had a bad case of basketball-itis. How could I not, I was still working out, being asked to coach, and preparing for a basketball movie, but what option do I have that I haven't eliminated for myself? I felt absolutely lost!! I didn't know what else to do but pray! 


I kid you not, Sunday Feb 5, 2012 I went to my church, and I prayed to God that he show me some sign as to what direction I needed to go... That night I read a text from my agent reading "I have a team in Vienna Austria. Great team and people. Point guard has been there but broke a rib. She will be out for 4-6 weeks. They need a player to come now and take her place while she gets better. It will be a great place for you. Any interest?" I'm thinking this is a great opportunity to get a taste of Professional basketball and give me exactly what I been missing. I replied with a simple "Yes" and Friday Feb 10, 2012 I was on the first flight out to Vienna.  Believe me...this opportunity means the world to me.


Wondering what happened to the film? They understood..but I have a thing for always picking up where I left off. But that will be in some years when I decide to truly "hang my sneaks". 


I advise you all to follow your heart... Dreams are wishes the heart makes, don't be deterred! 

Draft Day

I haven't decided how often I'm going to write but I have plenty of free time here in Vienna to do that, and believe me my mind runs wild....


Today is full day #2 here in Austria. Vienna is absolutely gorgeous, but it is colder than a January in Harrisonburg, VA, and any James Madison University/DMV readers I have know exactly how cold that can be.  WOW with all that has happened, I still can't believe I am here.  I remember the days of April 10-11, 2011 like it was yesterday...


April 10th I found myself retweeting-you know, reposting comments on twitter, comments of what teams people believed I was going to be drafted to either because they were fans of that team or figured somehow that I would do/fit well on that team. I stayed as humble as possible considering the fact that "you just never know what could happen" as my Head Coach at the time would remind me. He made sure constantly that he reminded me to do everything in my power that would leave no possibility, but with all that the media attention I was getting in national articles and magazines, plus the way my stats looked the past 4 years, I mean "I was that courageous kid with heart" I must be a shoe in.


April 11th came along, my family drove 9 hours from home, which for them was the norm when any big event happened at JMU.  My teammates and coaches put together a draft party just for the team and my family to attend and we sat in front of the huge projector we used for film and listened as the names were being called, TOGETHER! The agony of hearing the first 2 rounds without hearing my name only grew worse as my teammates and coaches at the time tried so hard to make things better. Without those girls and the my JMU family I would have broken down completely, but they allowed me to lean on them. So.. I went undrafted.


"I'm not easily broken"is what I immediately tweeted trying to hold on to that strong image I created for myself, but inside I knew I'd walk away from basketball forever for more reasons then that, I took this as an opportunity to recuperate and get my health in order.

Ok so yea... I needed to get things in order, but I let some "shitty" situation that lasted just one day remove me from something I have built over years. People who have never played the sport see the GLORY, the SHINE, the things that happen only when the lights are on, but true competitive athletics takes the cumulative effort of your ENERGY, your TIME, your EMOTIONS, and your HEART if you love basketball like the people I've ever played with. It took me 6 whole months to realize what I know now. I know that this break, drafted or not was absolutely necessary and that maybe I was not ready on April 11th to continue playing. I know now that yes, things happen and for a reason indeed and you have to trust that it is only part of what is truly destined for YOU! Those things don't mean quit, they mean your strong enough to get there the hard way. 


Earlier that month I earned the 2011 ESPN Annual Jimmy V Foundation award given to a collegiate athlete who was able to face adversity sometime throughout their college career and even if you aren't familiar with the famous Jimmy V speech, you have heard his famous lines as he fought his battle with cancer...


"DON'T GIVE UP, DON'T EVER GIVE UP" 


as a recipient of that award it is my duty to be the epitome of these words- so here I stand in Vienna, Austria with amazing girls I will introduce to you soon.


I saw this on twitter today: Perfect!

Oh P.S.: Advice to future/younger athletes, don't put too much stock in what media attention you get, good or bad! Many athletes find themselves trying to fight to prove the media wrong or right when paying attention too closely to what is only SOMEONE'S OPINION. -no google searches, well until after season ;)

Introduction

Every life has it’s story, its beginning, and of course it’s end.  What happens from start to finish is majorly what you chose mixed in with a little bit of the uncontrollable. But we have all heard it before, “LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT!” Right?

I was watching a YouTube video of Tyrese speaking on his recent book, “How to get out of your own way” In the video he made a statement about sharing the message of how to get through in life, because it is a journey.Listen to Tyrese here I’ve contemplated doing this for a year now, and continue to put it off for various reasons, but no better time than now as I start my professional career. 

My story?? Well...my name is Dawn Evans. I’m 22. James Madison Graduate. I suffer from a rare kidney disease that people wrongly believe that should prevent me from playing basketball, but basketball has been my only true way of life. Juggling the both is hard enough, now lets add in the love/dating life. Sometimes you find yourself wondering when the hell does life give you a break. But it does. It did. I am in route to pursue my basketball career in Vienna, Austria. Yes, with a blue jean bag full of medications. I’m beyond elated, coming out of that after college graduation “slump”. “That slump” when everything wrong that could happen, only SEEMS to happen. As my disease made media attention and my stock in character seemed to rise my stock in the WNBA draft plummeted. My relationship of 2 years became just another stressor in my life and soon ended. Although my health stayed stable my faith in it staying that way only grew less and less.  I knew it just wasn’t in my cards for things to get better. I was wrong!

For anyone who knows me, knows that I am far from an open book but this blog will contradict that statement.  I only want to share the life I live in categories that don’t usually coexist...and the encouragement, knowledge, and experience I have gained through it all. Share the up and down times of an athlete, kidney patient, and a girl in pursuit of happiness. 

So I want to enlighten and encourage perseverance in anyone who needs it, because as bad as things seem to get sometime..you know that uncontrollable part of life... there is always a way out!