2020 Medina Talk's about her USAB Experience

Colorado Spring, CO- Over the weekend USA Basketball hosted 133 athletes for the u16 trials. NYGHoops Report got a chance to catch up with one of the Nation’s top 2020 prospects, 6 foot 1 (G) Taliyah Medina of Bethlehem Catholic (PA). The rising sophomore led her team to its first states championship in school history (30-2). The versatile guard also led in scoring (10.9 points), while pulling down 5.7 rebounds and 2.6 assist per game.

What was the experience like in Colorado Springs, CO  ?

The atmosphere was very peaceful and being up there was just amazing. The mountains and scenery was just beautiful. I couldn’t stop taking pictures and the food was delicious. The people were very nice and visiting Old Colorado City was  fun because there were just so many things to do. Lastly, being in Colorado with the high altitude and no humidity, I had to drink LOTS and LOTS of water! 
 
What was some of the major differences in AAU, HS and USAB ?
 
The USA trials was a great and challenging experience. After some of the trials I came back to the hotel sore, so it was very important to ice. Although the workouts were only and hour to an hour and a half, the pace was very upbeat and we were constantly moving and always talking. Its easy to talk to teammates that you have known prior to coming to practices, but at the USA trials I only knew about 3-5 players coming in and the rest I did not. On the practice court you had to make sure you were communicating whether you knew them or not. 
Communication is a key part of basketball, without communication you would never be on the same page with your teammates. If teammates aren’t on the same page you’ll never win. At the USA trials you have to learn to anticipate and adapt. You are playing with girls you’ve never played before (elite girls at that). I believe high level AAU basketball prepares you better than high school, because in some high school’s, girls play basketball for the fun of it and aren’t so committed. In high level AAU you will find teammates more serious about basketball, players who love the game. At the USA trials all of us girls were committed and had one goal... “To play hard and ultimately make the team.” 
 
What lesson did you learn from coaches at the USAB Trial s ?
 
Being at the USA trials was indeed an "eye opener" about the mind of athletes, coaches and parents. For the first three sessions along with the workouts we had classes. Each class taught something different, but I was able to learn a lot from the coaches, especially USA olympian athlete, Tamika Catchings. I learned what it means to be a true leader, not just someone who takes charge but someone who makes their teammates better at the same time. In one of the team activities, we were given puzzle boxes, one for each group. We had 5 minutes to get as much of the puzzle done as possible, and the key rule was that everyone had to put a piece of the puzzle down. This way everyone was part of the completed picture. The moral of the activity was  anyone can finish a puzzle by themselves or with some of the people in the group, but it will never be complete because not everyone took part. You can’t have a complete team if everyone is not all in. Everyone has something unique to add to the team (puzzle), one might be a really good shooter, the other might be really good at penetrating and kicking out, and one might be a defensive communication. But lets say the shooter decides to be selfish and shoot the ball every time she gets it or the girl that was really good at driving and kicking decided that she was tired of sharing the ball and took it herself every time, or the communicator stopped talking on defense. Then your team wouldn’t be a team anymore, rather a group of individuals. It would eventually fall apart and instead of being selfless they would be selfish. This is why it is important to excel in your role and play for your team and not just yourself. 

What was your favorite moment and why ?
 
My favorite moment probably would have  to be when we performed skits on stage, I laughed so much! Each group was given a scenario and had to act it out and show how they would solve the problem whether it was a troubling teammate, or someone on the team doing things off the court that weren’t allowed. The skits were authentic and very funny. 
 
Being one of the top players in your class (2019) in the state of PA. What's more important, honing your physical skills or improving the mental aspect. what was most important for you in both areas at USAB?
 
The game of basketball is 10% physical and 90% mental, you could have all the skill in the world but there comes a time when late in the game you will get tired, your body will keep telling you to give up, but are you going to feed into it or are you going to push it aside and fight through it? Playing high level basketball, there is always going to be a battle between your mind and your body. Many of your opponents train and workout as much as you do, but it is your mindset that will be the difference maker. I learned this a great deal at the USA trials and will use my experience to sharpen my mindset to prepare myself to compete at the highest level.
 
What schools are recruiting you,  which have you visited so far, and have offers from ?
 
Recruiting: I currently have offers from schools within the Big Ten, ACC, Big East and Atlantic 10 conference. I just want to continue to sharpen my skill and mindset so the school I do choose in the future is getting the best version of myself as possible. 


Thank you Mr. Fenelon for taking the time to write this article. Thanks for all your support of Team Exodus and I.