Fresno State Athletics
Basketball Leads Filipe to Great Success
3/6/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 6, 2010
FRESNO, Calif. - Before Joh-Teena Filipe played organized basketball she was an avid tennis and volleyball player. It wasn't until her sophomore year in high school when she played organized basketball. When she started playing it was hoops that started taking priority and eventually won out over the two sports.
"Out of volleyball and basketball, I didn't like the spandex so I decided to go with the baggy shorts," Filipe said. "That's how I came to my decision."
That decision has turned out to benefit the Bulldog senior as it was only a year later when colleges started taking notice of Filipe's abilities on the basketball court. After playing summer basketball her junior year at Skyline High School in Salt Lake City, Utah, she started getting letters from colleges.
"I never really thought I would get to the next level," Filipe said. "After I got that letter that is when I was thought I might have a future."
Filipe originally wanted to stay close to home and go to BYU or Utah. After deciding to play at Utah, she played two years as a Ute and was an important player in the team's run to the Elite 8 as a freshman. But after two years in Salt Lake City, Filipe was looking for a change. After being released from her scholarship, she sent out letters to teams that she played well against during her time at Utah, hoping the coaches would remember her.
Fresno State was on the list and after schools responded, Filipe said her decision was between Arizona State, Cal and Fresno State.
When Filipe first arrived at Fresno State she went through an adjustment like many transfers do.
"When I first got here I had to get used to a new atmosphere that I wasn't really familiar with," Filipe said. "There were new players and new personalities and a totally different style of play. It was a learning experience and very hard because I came from a team that was a half court team and not a full court team. Conditioning was really hard. I was always in the back in sprints. As the years have progressed I have definitely become more adapted to the style and personalities."
Filipe has not only meshed with the team but she has become a valuable team leader for this year's Bulldog team who is having their best season in school history. She is currently averaging 8.9 points and 5.9 rebounds a game.
"Her speed and strength show up in in-measurable ways," Wiggins said. "They show up in her defense against the best post players in our league. They show up in key rebounds at the end of the game. They don't necessarily get measured all the time. She is such a strong and fast athlete that she imposes a lot of matchup problems for people."
Filipe is set to graduate with her degree this spring and the younger players on the team are now looking up to Filipe as a leader.
"She has always been a tremendous player with great talent and a lot of passion to play," Wiggins said. "She has grown as a person and young lady. She is a lot more focused academically and she is a lot better leader now then when she got here. That is a lot because of the players that were leading her while she was watching and learning."
The ability Filipe has had to focus academically and athletically came from how she was raised by her parents. Her siblings are extremely athletic as she had a sister who played volleyball at Alabama and a brother who played football at Oregon. The Bulldog senior also has a younger brother who is going to play college football. Some sort of competition was always going on in her family whether it is on the field or off.
"We competed in everything," Filipe said on her relationship with her siblings. "Our main thing was competing in academics. I did always try to outplay my sister in volleyball. We all have a competitive mentality."
That competitive mentality has given Filipe great confidence on the court this season.
"Having a really good coaching staff is awesome," Wiggins said. "I love that they are honest and up front. They don't hold anything back. I know what is going on every moment. I feel confident when I get on the court because I have a great coaching staff on the side."
This article was published in the Official Sports Report. To subscribe to the Fresno State Official Sports Report log onto officialsportsreport.com.
