Detroit Shock player Cheryl Ford visited Oxford Middle School Saturday to check out the future of her sport.
Second through eighth-grade girls participating in parks/rec. winter basketball camp were Ford’s target audience as the 27-year-old WNBA star spoke about the importance of getting a solid education.
‘Being a basketball player is a great honor, it’s a great gift, but I got here through my education,? said the three-time WNBA champion.
Ford, who’s been playing for Detroit since 2003, attended college at Louisiana Tech University, where she studied elementary education while playing NCAA basketball.
‘Maybe I’ll be teaching some of you guys one day when I’m old and can’t play basketball anymore,? she quipped. ‘But I think I’ve still got a lot of basketball left in me.?
Although talent on the court can lead to scholarship money, Ford said students must still earn good grades in the classroom and do well on tests like the SAT in order to be eligible for such opportunities.
And for all those little girls who don’t think mom and dad know what they’re talking about, Ford told them she’s still grateful to her mother for getting her involved in basketball at age 13.
‘My mom actually made me play,? she said. ‘I didn’t want to play. Thanks, mom.?
One of the young players asked Ford about how she’s been doing since her injury.
Last July, she tore her anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee during a brawl while playing the Los Angeles Sparks.
‘It’s getting better,? Ford said. ‘I’ll be back.?