It is Doug Lennick's belief that we will not know if we have been successful with our Metro Stars program until our players have graduated from college and enter the real world. It is only then that we will know if the lessons they learned from our program were valuable to them.
Here are their stories as told by the players themselves:
I play basketball at the University of Minnesota. I am minoring in Spanish and Majoring in Communications. I plan on graduating in 4 years, so that is the spring of 2008. I have made the Deans list every semester since I have been at the U. I had a 4.0 for a semester my Sophomore year and was awarded for that. I also made the big ten academic team. I studied abroad for the first 6 weeks of this past summer. I was in Merida, Venezuela. I took two classes, a grammar class and The history ofVenezuela, both of which were completely in Spanish. I got to travel, live with a host family, eat a lot of different food and meet a ton of cool people. When I got back from Venezuela I had two weeks at home and then it was off to Scandinavia for the Big Ten tour. We spent ten days traveling around in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. I had a blast and I'm really looking forward to seeing my former teammates from the trip and my coach, Thresa Grentz from Illinois.
What my metro stars experience was to me...Wow, I just had an absolutely amazing time playing for the Metro stars. All of my memories are good ones that I will cherish forever. I have so many pictures from all the different trips we went on, Oregon, Las Vegas, Florida, Chicago, North Carolina. I made friends during thoes three years that I will stay in touch with for the rest of my life. I had amazing coaches that believed in my and helped me develop as a player and a person. My only regret was that I didn't start playing sooner. I always played summer softball and then finally Ray convinced me to play summer bball and then the rest is history. I seriously had so much fun and to this day I miss it dearly. Great memories in the Breck gyms, pool parties at the Millers, car rides with Ray, Going to Multnomah falls, riding the roller coaster at New York New York in Vegas, sharing hotel rooms with my teammates, visiting college campuses such as, Duke, UNC, Wake Forest, Oregon and UNLV. My teammates were amazing people and I loved playing with them.
I recently graduated from South Dakota State University in May of 2007. I graduated with a degree in Heath, Physical Education and Recreation. I also received my coaching certificate while I was there. I plan to attend graduate school at SDSU this fall in pursuit of my master's degree in Sports Administration, while also being a graduate assistant basketball coach.
In college I was on the dean's list for every semester of my career. I graduated with a 3.87 GPA and was named Academic All Independent my junior and senior year and Academic All-American my senior year. My team was also named 1st in GPA for all divisions and all teams in the NCAA my junior and senior years. We were 2nd my sophomore year.
I was a four-year starter for South Dakota State and was named to various All Conference, All Independent and All Tournament basketball teams. I had a very unique experience at SDSU because I was able to experience both Division 2 and Division 1 basketball. When I was in high school what level I played at in college was not important to me. I wanted to go to the most successful basketball team I could, because winning games and championships was on the top of my priority list. SDSU gave that experience to me. My freshman year we won the NCC conference and made it to the NCAA elite eight. For the following three years we were classified as Division 1 and I was able to play and win against the best in the country. We beat teams like Virginia, Minnesota, Kentucky, USC, Middle Tennessee, Wisconsin, and many more. My senior year we were the first transition team to ever make the Women's NIT tournament and made a run to the Quarterfinals, where we lost to eventual champion Wyoming.
While at South Dakota State I was named Strength and Conditioning Athlete of the Year my junior and senior year and was able to be a member of various extra-curricular activities like Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Campus Crusade for Christ, and President of the Student Athlete Advisory Council.
After graduating from South Dakota State I was very fortunate to be drafted 19th overall in the 2007 WNBA draft by the Washington Mystics. I was waived on the very last day because they felt I did not have the experience they needed. They offered me an opportunity to stay here this summer and practice everyday with the team to gain that experience they felt I lacked ("red-shirting" a year per say).
I plan to play in the WNBA as long as I can and possibly overseas for a few years. When I can no longer lace them up- I plan to stay with the game and become a collegiate basketball coach.
I came into the Minnesota Metro Stars program after my junior year in high school. My 17U team was one of the best summer experiences of my life. Not only did we place 5th at Oregon, 3rd in Vegas, and 1st in Chicago, they were one of the best groups of people I have been around. The friendships I gained and lessons learned are invaluable. In fact I still keep in touch with some of my teammates from that summer. There is nothing better than following your teammates college careers! Metro Stars helped me improve my game and was part of the reason I was able to earn a college basketball scholarship and eventually get into the WNBA. However, Andy Meinhardt did not allow us to be satisfied with only being "great basketball players". He made sure we became better people and learned some of the true lessons of life along the way and for that I am forever thankful.
Thank you Metro Stars for helping me become the person and player I am today.
I'm in my fourth year at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT. I'm a Pre-Physical Therapy Major and I plan on graduating in the winter of 2008.
I have been on the academic all-conference team every single semester I have attended MSU. My team was also 5th in the nation for team GPA last year in the entire NCAA, so we're pretty smart out here!!
I am currently in my senior year at Montana State. I have been the starting point guard since my sophmore year and last year I was named to the Big Sky all-conference team. I was also named MVP and defensive player of the year for my team.
After I graduate from Montana State, I plan on going on to Physicians Assistant school and hopefully plan on practicing medicine. I also plan on getting my trainers certificate after graduating as well. I would love to come back to Minnesota for good after I'm settled down!
I played for the metro stars beginning at 12 years old and continued to play for them every summer until i graduated from high school. The metro stars teams that I played for and the girls I played with were the best teams i've ever played on. The Metro Stars program exposed me to things that really helped me get where I am today. Not only did this program help me receive a full ride Division I scholoarship but some of my fondest basketball memories lie within these teams! I could go on and on..the stars really propelled my basketball career to the point where I was capable of playing at the DI level, which had been my dream since I was a girl. Overall, these teams and in particular my U17 team that played in the Nike Tour and placed 5th at the Oregon Trail, 3rd in Vegas, and 1 in Chicago, are the most positive basketball experiences in my life.
I am a senior at Boston College and I will graduate in May 2007. I am studying marketing and communication. All of my marketing classes have been focused in the technology industry- I'm a dork, but I absolutely love it. I am a member of the Dean's List Honors Group- the highest level academic honors at Boston College.
I spent the fall of my junior year living in London. In london I took classes and then worked a three month internship with Apple iTunes Europe. I traveled all over Europe, but really fell in love with London. Since London I have worked in retail sales and business consulting for Apple in Minneapolis. I am currently the Apple sales and marketing representative for Boston College. And now I am in the process of applying for technology sales jobs for after I graduate!
After I finished playing basketball for the Metro Stars I continued to coach with Andy Meinhardt in 2004 and 2005. We coached a 12U team and a 13U team that went to the national tournament as Minnesota State Champions both years. Whether I was playing or coaching, the program was a huge part of my development. Playing for the Metro Stars taught me that working hard is not something you do when you have to- it's something that becomes imbedded in who you are. Experiencing great success is invaluable because it shows you just how far dedication and commitment can and will carry you in life. This was an incredible lesson to learn at such a young age.
Finally, the Metro Stars taught me a lot about the power that people can have in your life. The memories I have from playing, practicing, and traveling with our team will never fade- the best things never do!
I am in my third year at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL (about 12 miles north of Chicago) and I really enjoy it. I love playing in the Big Ten.... it's absolutely one of the best conferences in the country to be compete in. As you probably know, Northwestern hasn't always been the toughest competitors in the conference, but we have a lot of young, very talented girlsjoining our team this year and I am very excited about where we are going and that I get to be a part of the rebuilding process.
I have started at the post position since my freshman year and have lead my team in rebounding the last 2 seasons. I am majoring in Communications Studies with a minor in Business. I will graduate in the spring of 2008, and would like to stay in Chicago a while to work after graduation. I would like to get into Sports marketing or Media Relations, if not for Northwestern, then for another sports team in Chicago. However, I would eventually love to return to Minnesota.
I can't say enough good things about my Metro Stars experience. I started playing with the club during my 13U summer and continued to play for the Metro Stars every summer until I graduated from Breck. Those summers were honestly some of the best times of my life and I made some of the best friends through those teams. The talent that surrounds the Metro Stars teams is top in the state of Minnesota.... my 17U team played in the End of the Oregon Trail tournament in Portalnd and placed 5th, then went to Vegas and placed 3rd, and finally capped off the summer winning the Chicago Nike Tourny. So, I think I can say we were GOOD :) The players on my team all went on to play in college, and the Metro Stars club and coaches were single handedly the reason I am able to play Division 1, Big Ten basketball. Summer tournaments was great exposure to play the best talent in the nation and be seen by college coaches; it definitely made it possible for me to play at this level.
I began my college career at Northwestern University in Chicago where I played one and a half years before transferring at the semester my sophomore year to Colorado State University. I currently play basketball for CSU and love each and every day of it! After the transfer I am still on track to graduate in four years as a Human and Family Development Studies major with a 3.9 GPA. Because of the transfer rule I have three years of college basketball left to play and hope to enjoy every minute while it lasts. I love the change that I was able to make as it has truly been a blessing in my life.
Teaching and coaching little kids has always been a passion of mine. Following my last year as a player with the Minnesota Metro Stars I have had the opportunity to coach the 2004 12U team as well as the 2005 13U team with both Andy and Sophie. Just this past year I had the privilege of coaching the 14U team with Lynn Dalhed. Each team that I have coached has had much success and has always been a positive experience teaching me more and more every time. It is because of the opportunities that I have had that following college I hope to coach womens basketball, whether it be at the high school or college level.
I played for the Metro Stars since the organization began and would not have it any other way. Our teams were always very successful both at the state and national level but it was not only the success that made it a great experience. The years that we spent practicing, traveling and competing were the fondest memories that I have. The lessons that we learned both from eachother and our coaches are those the deepest embeded in me. Trust, dedication, love, commitment and hard work are just some of the things that I have been able to define through my experiences with the Metro Stars program.