Former WNBA player from Nebraska makes a stop at youth basketball tournament

PIERCE, Neb.— A small town basketball tournament had an extra twist this weekend when a former WNBA player came to talk.

At the Zion Lutheran Roundball Tournament on Saturday, Nebraska native Brittney Wilkins gave the keynote presentation, talking about her time in the big leagues and how she overcame hardships during those years.

Even though the kids in the audience would not have watched Wilkins in 2006 to 2008, she says the struggles everyone faces are virtually the same.

“Yeah, I mean, I think growing up, like, the WNBA was a very new thing, you know?” Wilkins said. “So they're growing up in a different era when the WNBA is now it's pretty big. So I think for them to just be able to see a real live WNBA player, if they've never been to a game, you know. And as I had mentioned, like, I was never a superstar on a WNBA team, but to be on the team and to have a role and to understand and know my role. Just understanding that kids are going through that right now, even in their fifth grade teams, their sixth grade teams.”

Being raised in Arlington, Wilkins knows what growing up in a small town means and some kids in the audience felt the connection as well.

“It was good,” Firth grade basketball player Harper Warneke said. “I would say just because I'm a basketball player and a volleyball player, it kind of like motivated me.”

Harper said seeing someone come from a small town just like her and achieve what Wilkins has was great.

Wilkins focused on a growth mindset and taught the kids the fundamentals of being a good athlete isn’t all about their ability to play the sport.