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ATHLETE INTERVIEW: Jasmine Warfield

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Ever dream of shooting hoops with an NBA All-Star? For 16-year-old Jasmine Warfield, this dream became a reality. GL recently talked to the Athlete’s Foot “In My Shoes” contest winner to find out what it’s like to hang out with Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony.

GL: First of all, Congratulations on winning the contest. How did you feel when you found out you won?

Jasmine Warfield: I was very excited actually. I didn’t know that I was one of the winners because the regional winner also goes to my school. And once they told us he was the winner, I thought it was over. I was surprised all at the same time and I didn’t know how big it was until I found out it was national and I just felt very lucky to be the winner.

GL: What was it like to play basketball with Carmelo Anthony in your high school gym with everyone watching?

J: I was very nervous, very scared and I’m sure that came off in the way I was shooting. But it was just an incredible experience. At one point he was sitting on the bench with us, on our home side of the bench. So it was like I was in the game with him. It was really cool.

GL: That’s really awesome. Did he have any advice or basketball tips for you?

J: No, not really…I’m pretty proactive with myself, so I took things from him. I looked at the way he shot and I tried to mimic that. But he was very encouraging. When we had a little competition shooting with our team or whatever, he alway had encouraging words like, “Come on, you can make the next shot” and stuff like that.

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GL: What would say was the best part of winning and the whole experience?

J: I think was getting to ask him questions one-on-one and being in that private setting with him was probably the best part.

GL: And I know that you’re a forward for your own basketball team, how is your season going so far?

J: We are actually 5 and 1.

GL: That’s great! What goals do you have for yourself and your team this season?

J: To continue to become closer as a team because the skills will come on their own. You know everybody works on their own individual skills, but what you can’t teach is team unity. That has to be something that comes over time and bonding so that’s one thing I hope we get better at throughout the season.

GL: Do you think that winning the contest and Carmelo coming and playing with you guys helped your team unity?

J: Most definitely. Everybody has been coming together a lot more and I don’t know exactly how it did that, but it definitely did.

GL: What do you like to do for fun to stay in shape?

J: For exercise, I enjoy playing tennis. I did that for a little while. And dancing, to me, is what I could consider an exercise. A lot of my friends are into hip-hop and they teach me dances and crazy stuff, it gets me pretty tired.

GL: Dancing is definitely a workout. What advice do you have for other young girls like yourself to have fun exercising and staying in shape?

J: I would say to choose something fun. If you do enjoy dancing, whatever gets your heart rate up, and keep it fun, keep it light, and never give up.

GL: Awesome. Do you have any goals of becoming a professional basketball player?

J: I think about it here and there. But I want to go to medical school, so right now I’m trying to keep it fun. I want to become a doctor and I don’t know where basketball will fit in with that. I’m very thankful for the experience and I hope to take it further. I hope it’s not over. I just hope I can take this experience and run its course all the way through.

By: L’Oreal Thompson

12/30/2007 12:00:40 PM