Ann Strother

Who comes to your mind when you think of a hero? George Washington, Ben Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, or Martin Luther King Jr.? Yes, they are all heroes. But, the person who comes to my mind when I think of a hero isn't the most popular person in the world; but she posseses qualities that really have had a great impact on my life. Her name is Ann Strother.

Ann Strother is a women's basketball player at the University of Connecticut. Ann was born on December 11, 1983 in Castle Rock, Colorado. As a sophmore in highschool she tore her ACL and had to sit out that season, but that didn't stop her at all. She worked and worked to get back to the level that she was playing at before her injury. Ann finally got to play again her junior year and she led her high school team to back to back championships. In her senior year in high school she was the Naismith Player of the Year and the Co-MVP of the McDonalds All-American game. Also in Ann's junior year she sat by someone with less friends and that wasn't so popular, everyday at lunch, to hopefully make their day a little brighter. Then thanks to her hard work ethic, she got a scholarship to play basketball at UConn.

As a freshman at UConn, Ann started all 38 games and played more minutes than any other member on her team. She was also nominated to the 2003 Big East All-Rookie team. She also helped lead UConn to the National Championship in 2003 where she scored 17 points in their victory over Tennessee. She also helped lead her team to another National Championship her sophmore year. UConn beat Tennessee the second straight year in the National Championship with the score of 70-61. In Ann's junior year she was the top scorer, but UConn failed to win the National Championship that year. They lost in the third round to Stanford. Going into Ann's senior year she is a preseason canditate for both the Wade Trophy and the Wooden Award. She is entering her senior year with 1,195 career points.

Ann Stother is a great player but she is most of all, a great person. I had the honor of spending a week with her this summer at the UConn basketball camp. She always had a smile on her face and she was always very kind and helpful. Ann has had a great impact on my life because she shows that even when things are going bad, like they were for her in her sophmore year in high school, you should never give up. She also is kind to everyone and doesn't brag about her performances, and when she makes a mistake she doesn't feel sorry for herself but she faces it. For example, in Ann's junior year at UConn in a regular season game against Tennessee, who is UConn's big rivalry, Ann was fouled with one second left on a three pointer. UConn was down by two with Ann at the line. UConn's only chance to beat Tennessee was either for Ann to make two of the free throws and go into overtime or all the free throws and that would win UConn the game. Ann made the first one, but then missed the next two. UConn lost. Instead of crying like some others would do in that situation, Ann faced her teammates and she apologized for letting them down and told them that it wouldn't happen again. That shows a great deal of courage to do what she did. Ann Strother is truly a hero to me and to many others.