Fresno State Athletics
Lane Still A part of Bulldog Women's Hoops
2/7/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 7, 2010
HONOLULU - Aritta Lane misses playing basketball at Fresno State. The former Bulldog is back at home living in Hawai'i, and every year when coach Adrian Wiggins brings his team to at the Stan Sheriff Center, Lane is always in the stands and in the locker room after the game with the Bulldogs. She also usually ends up eating with the team the night before as well.
As part of Wiggins post game talk to the team after Saturday's 78-69 victory over the Rainbow Wahine, the Bulldog coach asked Lane if she missed playing basketball for the Bulldogs.
Her response was quick and simple, "I would play right now if I could." "Playing for coach Wiggins was an experience that I take with me every day of my life," Lane said. "Words can't explain what the feeling is when you play for him. He just teaches so much about you as person that it carries over into the game of basketball."
Lane was one of the all-time greats to wear a Fresno State uniform as she is in the schools' career top 10 list in field goals made (8th), field goals attempted (10th), scoring (9th), rebounds (5th) and free throws made (fifth).
Lane previously was in eighth place but Bulldog guard Jaleesa Ross passed Lane and Simone Srubek to move into seventh place on the career-scoring list. Watching Ross and the Bulldogs win is something Lane looks forward to every year.
"It feels good," Lane said. "I am kind of lonely here in Hawai'i. Whenever Fresno is in town I enjoy coming to watch them play and I support them 100 percent."
Lane is a mother of a daughter, Chloe, who is almost two years old. On Monday, Lane starts a new job at the American Diabetes Association and she coaches high school boys' basketball at Christian Academy, a small Division II private school in the Honolulu area.
Seeing former players come back to be around the team means a lot to Wiggins and his staff.
"As a coach that is the time I get to be proud and excited, seeing our players become successful parents and workers in society," Wiggins said. "Aritta is definitely a role model in that area. It means that they are happy and that they had a good experience."
As Lane watches Wiggins current Bulldog team she said she takes great pride in knowing she was a part of teams that helped lay the foundation for the program's recent success.
"My favorite part about being with coach Wiggins and Frank is that we were able to build a foundation with them," Lane said. "That is one of the most special things that I am one of the founding players of what this team is now. That is because of the team that I was on."
