I was born in Virginia then I moved to Washington state for my senior year of high school. I have two older brothers, Harry and Russell, and both of them played dual sports in college. I am the youngest and only girl in my family.
I started playing basketball when I was five years old, and my dad was my first coach. I played with the boys at the YMCA. Those years of playing under my dad and with the boys helped inspire and shape my passion for basketball.
I started playing AAU basketball when I was in sixth grade and that was when I began playing with the girls. These girls were way better than the boys I was playing with. They were faster, stronger, and taller than I was. I guess you could say that trait of height does not run in family (haha), but these girls had all the tangible things I didn’t have.
Max Coates, my AAU coach and mentor, who recently passed away, saw something in me that he believed separated me from the rest of the girls I was competing against. These things he saw were the intangibles—the immeasurable and not physical traits I possessed. The intangibles were all based on the things I learned playing at the YMCA: have fun competing, be willing to learn and listen, have meaningful relationships with the people on your team, and always continue to grow and seek out growth in others.
The lessons that I learned way back then have brought me to where I am now. Those lessons are the reasons why I love Stanford Women’s Basketball.
Unfortunately, I have not had the ability to play this season. But I hope is that I can bring leadership to the other freshman, a sense of calmness and patience during times of adversity, and to be the best version of myself everyday. I understand that this is all a process, and my ultimate goal is to be completely healthy at the end of it.
I have truly enjoyed my time here so far. I have grown and matured in so many different ways. The reason why people choose Stanford is obviously because of the outstanding education, but in the face what really influences who you become in the future are the experiences you have and people that surround you.
I have been blessed to be surrounded by some of the most talented and compassionate people that I know. I have fun with them everyday, I enjoy the relationships we have built, and we all are steadily growing each and everyday. I am excited to go on this journey with this team and to learn from the best in the game. Go Cardinal!
With much love from #3,
Anna Wilson
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