Fresno State Athletics
Fears Leads By Example
1/18/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 18, 2010
FRESNO, Calif. - Being a leader hasn't come easy for LaShay Fears. It has taken practice. It has taken assistant coaches working with the now senior point guard and it has taken a lot of prayer on Fears' part to overcome that obstacle.
"I don't like it," Fears said. "I was scared to be a leader to be honest. I always had a fear. On the court I'm starting to get over it. I've learned people will listen if I am leading them in the right way.
The growth for Fears started as a freshman at UC Santa Barbara when she was named the starting point guard and coaches had to work with her on what to say in the huddle and to the team.
"They helped me realize that even though you are young they will still listen to you as long as you know what to say," Fears said. "It took a while but I am getting it."
Getting it she is as Fears was a catalyst in the Bulldogs run to the 2008-09 WAC regular season and tournament championship, earning the Bulldogs a berth in the NCAA tournament. This year she has shown the senior leadership and helped the Dogs to 10-5 start. The growth Fears has shown at being a leader during her time in Fresno has been noticed by her coaches.
"She unknowingly has become a leader in the best possible way and that is by example," Fresno State coach Adrian Wiggin said. "She has worked hard every day this year and her teammates really respect her for that. You throw her intelligence into the picture and that makes for a good leader."
Being a leader on the court has helped Fears off the court as she is the oldest of nine siblings. Fears feels like she has a responsibility to help her brothers and sisters realize the importance of school and going to college since Fears admitted that as a kid she never thought she would be in college herself. This spring she will be the first in her family to have a college diploma.
"When I go home I make sure I let them know the things they have to get in school," Fears said. "Especially for my brother he is at the age where he is into girls. I tell him girls are going to come and go and that he has to get those grades so he can get into school."
It would be basketball that would allow Fears to attend college and get her degree. She started playing for a club team in the eighth grade but quit after her first day of practice because she didn't realize how serious the coaches took the game with having the players run. After a week, Fears went back to practice and the game started to grow on her.
By her sophomore year in high school the opportunity to play college basketball became a possibility.
"The coaches talked to my parents and told them that I go could somewhere for school for free and play basketball," Fears said.
Before Fears' senior season she verbally committed to Utah State. It was the first time she ever flew on a plane by herself and Fears was in awe at how well she was treated by the people in Logan. When she got back her coaches tried to convince her to take one more visit to have something to compare too. Fears visited UC Santa Barbara and that is where she signed to play.
Fears started two years at UCSB and had a great experience but the time came when she was looking for something different and Fresno State turned out to be a good fit for her.
What Fears has done as a Bulldog has been well-documented and she hopes to finish her senior season off the way her junior season ended by winning a WAC championship and going back to the NCAA tournament.
Before Fears started her senior year she gained another valuable experience in leadership as she was a huddle leader for nine young girls' between the ages 13-16 at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes Summer Camp at UCLA. During the week, Fears ate with them, had bible study, went to Praise and Worship Services and did basketball lessons. Each day was from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
"It was an amazing experience to teach kids that you don't play for yourself and that you play for God," Fears said. "I still talk to some of the girls today. I went as a camper so it was crazy that the roles were switched. At first I was afraid to do this because I knew I wasn't perfect so I had to do a lot of praying about leading kids."
The experience turned out to be a life changing experience and once Fears finishes her basketball career she hopes she can continue to touch the lives of people she is around. One of the goals she has is to be a police detective for the Clovis Police Department.
One thing is certain, Fears will accomplish her goals she has because of her example and the way she leads others around her.
"We Are Your Team"- The Fresno State women's basketball team plays at Nevada on Thursday at 7 p.m. Listen to the game live on 790 ESPN Radio. The Bulldogs return home to host Louisiana Tech on Saturday at 5 p.m. for ticket information click on the tickets link at the top of the page.
This article previously ran on the official sports report. To subsribe to the official sport report log onto officialsportsreport.com.
