COACH'S GAME BALL: Keyrra Gillespie

Head Coach A.G. Hall of the Winston-Salem State Lady Rams basketball team chose Keyrra Gillespie as the recipient of this issue's Game Ball.
"Keyrra is our leader right now," Hall said.
"She's distributing the ball well, she's looking for her scoring opportunities and she's playing good defense."
Gillespie, a 5-5 junior guard from Statesville, N.C., is in the midst of her first season at WSSU. She transferred after spending the first two seasons at Gulf Coast State College and Clemson University respectively.
Gillespie is leading her team in assists (4.2) and steals (2.4) per game, and is third on the team in points per game (6.6).
"She's our leader on the floor and our most experienced player," Hall said.
"She's the one that's really helping us stay together until we can get everybody else on board."

Q: Does being chosen for the Game Ball give you any added confidence or motivation for the rest of the season?
Gillespie: Not really. I take the same approach to every game. I just go into every game prepared and ready to help us win as a team.

Q: What type of leader do you try to be on and off the court? What do you do to get your team motivated?
Gillespie: I try to be a positive leader, especially on the court. We definitely need [a leader] at a time like this because we're going through a rough stretch. I've been trying to pick my teammates up by giving them positive words and not getting down on them.

Q: How do you feel your team has done to this point? What are your expectations going forward?
Gillespie: We're getting better as we play. It gets frustrating at times because we're getting beat by teams that we should be beating. Our goal is to win the [CIAA Conference Championship] this year, and I think we do have the team to do it. We just have to put the pieces together.

Q: You're leading the team in assists and steals, and you're third on the team in scoring. What's been the key to your success?
Gillespie: I always try to stay focused and stay humble. You can never be satisfied.

Q: What WNBA or NBA player do you model your game after?
Gillespie: I'd have to go with an NBA player and that's Dwayne Wade (Miami Heat guard). I'm a huge Heat fan and I like him.

Q: What are your plans after WSSU?
Gillespie: I'm actually majoring in physical education, and after I leave WSSU I want to go overseas and build up some money to start my own program. I want to start my own recreation [center] doing basketball summer camps for kids, especially low-income kids.
Edited by Angelik Edmonds