Time to mature on the court

So what brought on such a change?

“I just needed time to mature, and going from high school to college where I was on a team with people from all areas of the country really helped me,” she says honestly. “In college you get a whole new perspective that helps you figure out who you really are.”

Coach Brenda Frese agrees, although she attributes a lot of Hawkins’ progress to her dedication and hard work.

“Tianna has taken so many strides in her four years and has really become one of the most efficient post players in the country,” Frese says. “She’s made the biggest jump of any player I’ve ever coached. That’s a huge credit to how hard she’s worked. Since the beginning, she would come in on her off days for extra work and now it’s paying off. She’s a really great teammate, too. She fights for her teammates and they know she always has their back.”

Those words make Latanya Hawkins extremely proud.

“I am very blessed because both of my daughters are hard workers and very respectful,” she says, adding that it was this work ethic that helped them earn spots on the high school team at Riverdale Baptist School in Upper Marlboro.

Former coach Gina Miller remembers Tianna as a hard worker. “She was a quick learner and she used to run up and down the floor like she still does at Maryland. She got really good grades too. I’m really pleased to see how well she’s done at Maryland, on and off the court.”

When the sisters were looking at colleges, their mother says Tierra wanted a small school while Tianna “wanted to be on TV.” Today, Tierra is a guard at Delaware State and Tianna and her team are in the limelight.

“After every game I talk to my family first,” she says, adding that their mom splits her time between her daughters’ games, but that she and her sister catch each other playing whenever possible. “But then I always make time to talk to the people who came to see us,” she says. “It feels really good to hear them say, ‘Good game’ or ‘My daughter really looks up to you.'”

She makes sure to tell her young fans how important good grades are, and how academic success, combined with a passion for any sport, can open doors. Hawkins says she is proof of this—she will graduate this spring with a degree in criminal justice and two goals: to play professional ball and to someday be a federal agent. But for now she’s focused on her senior season—and doing whatever she can to repeat performances like the one she gave on her record-breaking day last year.

“I didn’t even know I was close to breaking the record until halftime when coach told me I already had 15 [rebounds],” she says. “But then I got into foul trouble when I was only one rebound away from the record. Coach asked the team if they thought it was OK to put me back in the game and they said yes, so I went out and played my hardest.

“It was such a great feeling to break a record,” she says. “I’d have to say that was my most memorable game … so far.”

General admission tickets to Women’s Basketball at the University of Maryland start at $5. Visit www.umterps.com for more information.