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You were born in Baltimore, but grew up in San Diego. What’s the basketball scene like in SoCal compared to the East Coast?

I always think of it like basketball is basketball anywhere; different cultures in different places. I play a lot with East Coast teammates - New York, New Jersey - where outdoors, the park and the playground are a really big part of the culture.

When you’re home, where do you play? What are the best leagues/playgrounds to play at in San Diego? Who are the best players in the city?

There are just classic high school gyms. When I was younger, they changed the name to Alliant [International University], but they have a huge sports complex with a bunch of courts. It was the holy land for basketball. Everybody fifth grade and up played there and we’d gather on weekends. It was where names were made. I played there for my entire childhood. Even “Bring It On” was filmed there in the same gym.

In high school, you won gold as the captain of the USA Junior National Team during the summer of 2004. Tell me about that experience.

I’ve had the great opportunity to play on three junior national teams. The first was really fun. I went to Puerto Rico with Courtney Paris and Candance Parker. We were the World Champions in Tunisia and Russia and got gold in the Pan-Am Games. Those were probably the most fun playing the senior national team of all the other countries and we were just in college. It was the first time since 1987 that we beat the Brazilian team in Brazil.

As one of only seven people to have been a four-time All-American in NCAA history, where do you see yourself in the hierarchy of women’s basketball?

You know it’s hard for me to think of myself as significant, but I represent a new generation of basketball that’s just kind of starting. To see women players in the WNBA and college watching a pro league, now the new people are the products of the establishment of the WNBA. A new generation can hopefully make an impact on younger generations like they did for me.

You just don’t become the all-time leading scorer in Pac-10 history overnight. What do you attribute your success to?

Lots of things. I think the biggest thing is my Mom, how she pushed me when I was growing up. She always made sure that if you want anything, you can’t rely on talent. You have to work for it, practice and be mentally prepared. Always staying true to who you are and staying confident, you can be a great player. And don’t let those insecurities or doubts get you down when you have a bad game, stay positive. Besides having bad games, you can be really successful. It’s at times when you doubt yourself, you have to stay mentally strong.

To go from the Final Four to the WNBA - what was your transition like?

It was crazy intense! The craziest moments of my life. At the National Championship game, I never thought I’d be at that point. The next day was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. All my dreams and goals accomplished in a matter of a week. It was the greatest day of my life and no one can take that from me. I worked so hard for those days, I felt like I was living in a fantasy world. Once I calmed down, I entered a new stage of my life.

What were those 24 hours like?

It was fast. We lost the game, I was sad, but I had nothing but happy thoughts of my time there. I say this all the time, but honestly I felt so accomplished. We lost and could have won, but I wanted to be around them, my teammates, and spend those last moments with them. We hung out in my hotel room, laughed and cried, and the next day the draft was in same city, Tampa. To see all your friends, everyone getting called, wondering who’s gonna be my new teammates, it was crazy. I talked to the coach and moved to Minnesota. I was still in my draft outfit and doing interviews the next morning, already starting work. One day a Stanford Cardinal, the next a Minnesota Lynx.

What is the best game you ever played?

I would say that numbers wise, the second round of tourney against UTEP. Personally the game I’m most proud of is when we played Maryland in the Elite 8. We had been to the Elite 8 twice before and lost by a little bit, and those were devestating seasons for me. There was an eery calm before the game, and I said to myself, “I’m just gonna relax and just play the game.” We ended up winning. Some of the shots I put up I didn’t even look at the basketball, I was just playing my game. My teammates all stepped up and it’s a game I’ll rememmber forever. The stakes were so high and we played really well.

At what moment did you know you were going to be a baller for life?

I knew that I was gonna be a basketball player at age eight. I was really young and I started playing at a really early age. My first year I was terrible, but I picked it up and the game instantly became my identity. I knew how I felt when I played and it was like no other feeling I had ever had. It was the third grade, and I knew it was something I’d be doing forever.

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