Nakita Newman is a second- year post with the UPEI women’s basketball team and she sat with us for some court side questioning.
1. What brought you to UPEI?
“During my basketball career with Team Alberta, my team participated in the Canada Games here on the Island. The experience of winning the national championship, as well as the kind hearted people that I was able to interact with while here, all helped to influence me into considering UPEI very seriously.
When I came on the recruiting trip, the team that I saw I could potentially be a part of, were all people that I could see supporting me through my university education. That fact right there was essentially why I chose to come to UPEI, I saw myself being happy here with teammates who were genuinely kind right from the get go.”
2. On game day, what is your routine? Foods you eat, music you listen to, etc….?
“My game routine isn't too complex to be honest, I wake up either when coach tells us to when we are away, or approximately four hours before the game when at home. I have an enjoyable breakfast and get everything ready that I need for the gym. On the way to the gym, I listen to some country music, I don’t need to be pumped up for the game, I’m always already. The country music helps calm my nerves, and helps me to take the game into perspective. I tape my ankle, put on my jersey, and an hour before, I hit the court to do some shooting with the team. Mostly during the shoot around, I enjoy being with the team without the pressure that is there during the game. That’s essentially all I do to prepare for game day.”
3. Who has been the most influential person in your life (and why)?
“The most influential person in my life is without a doubt my mother. I have been told that not only do I continue to look more and more like her as I grow up, but I act more and more like her as well. My mother is the most amazing woman I will ever know. She has the ability to make the best out of any situation. She is a teacher, and there is no doubt in my mind that she has a lasting positive impact on all her students. She possesses the majority of the characteristics that I wish to develop. If I continue to act more like her as I mature, I will be completely content with that. My mother has done amazing things in her life, and she influences me to become a person that I can be proud of.”
4. Do you see yourself staying involved in the sport when your career is over?
“Basketball has been a part of my life for almost as long as I can remember, I cannot see myself giving up the sport entirely. I would love to coach, or mentor future basketball players into being the best player that they can be, and to love the sport as much as I have (and do).”
5. What is the one key piece of advice you would pass on to young athletes?
“The one key piece of advice that I can give to young athletes is to play for yourself. I have personally experienced trying to play the game in such a way that makes my father, my coach, or my friends happy, and that is not why I am an athlete. Each individual needs to lead their life in a way that will make them happy. When on the court/field/ice or whatever playing surface, do not think of what play will make your parents, your coach, or your teammates happy, although you obviously want that to happen as well. But individual happiness is important; and athletes play because it is what they enjoy, and while young adults play I ask them to remember that. Try not to get frustrated with losses, and the continual challenges that you will face as an athlete. Just have fun.”
6. What is your favorite quote?
‘Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.’-Leo Buscaglia. “I am naturally a person of positive disposition, however, this does not come naturally, it is in part because of the support that I receive through my family, and friends. I hope that I am able to provide (through the acts depicted in the quote) help to others in achieving the same level of happiness that for the most part, I am fortunate enough to experience.”
Department of Athletics