Elena Delle Donne was on the fast track to basketball stardom as the 2008 Naismith national high school basketball player of the year and one of the most highly sought girls’ prep players in the country. She had a full ride to UCONN and would have won an NCAA Championship with the Huskies had she not left school and returned to Delaware to play volleyball instead.
Gino Auriemma didn’t know what to make of the situation and concluded that Delle Donne was making the biggest mistake of her life.
In the end, it wasn’t basketball burnout that caused Delle Donne to give …read more

Imagine if you were the top basketball recruit in the country. Imagine if everyone in the media kept referring to you as the next Lebron James. Imagine playing college basketball at the University of Connecticut under the reputable Geno Auriemma. Imagine that your future as a perennial women’s basketball star was bright, and that playing in the Olympic games and the WNBA was a forgone conclusion.
Now, imagine giving all that up.
That’s what Elena Delle Donne did. She walked away from basketball, only she walked away with her head held high.
I found the story of Delle Donne so intriguing …read more