Women's Basketball Seniors Reflect on Their Time at Temple

PHILADELPHIA - As the women's basketball season comes to a close and the Senior Appreciation Day game nears, Temple's seniors were asked to reflect on their time on the team, how they impacted their teammates while they were on the team and what they took away from teammates and coaches that will stick with them when they leave the university. The three seniors graduating include center Shannen Atkinson, forward Lena Niang, and guard Ciara Forde.

What made you want to come to Temple?

Atkinson: "I liked Coach Way [Veney]. She was the one that recruited me. I knew Coach Cardoza coached under one of the top coaches and she knew what it took to win. When I came on my visit, I really liked the school. They came and visited me at home and I liked what they said at my home visit. They told me that I'd earn my playing time and would earn respect and that is what drew me in."

Niang: "The relationships I had with the coaches really brought me to Temple. It was more family-based; the coaches and the players were very welcoming. Coach Way and Coach Cardoza especially reached out to me."

Forde: "I transferred from Bloomsburg University during freshman year and I wanted to be closer to home and closer to the city. The Fox School of Business is a really good school for my major (Marketing), which was one of the main reasons I transferred."

What has made you stay and keep playing basketball here?

Atkinson: "I had hip surgery during my sophomore year. The coaches were really supportive of me during the process and have made sure that I get my rest. What kept me here was that I love my team. We all get along with each other. We all get along well and are like family. The coaches/team never made me feel left out. The team was really supportive."

Niang: "I like it here. I was happy with the relationships I made with my teammates and with my coaches and I really enjoyed playing basketball for Temple."

Forde: "I started off as a team manager for a few years. I wanted to take a break from playing, but still be involved in basketball in some way. What drove me to try out was just wanting to be more involved. When I made the team, I was really excited to start playing basketball every day again. I felt like by not playing basketball, there was something missing in my life."

What do you want your legacy to be when you leave Temple?

Atkinson: "I want to be remembered as a hard worker. I'm always trying to stay positive, even when things aren't going our way. I always want everyone to know that it's a brand new day and that you can keep working hard, even when you have a bad practice or a bad game."

Niang: "Now that I'm leaving, I hope that I was the person that would be there for anything I needed, like a big sister. I try to help out anyone and everyone and give them any advice I can provide and be there for them in their times of need."

Forde: "I want people to remember me by my smile and my attitude. I always try to be positive and happy all the time. If you ever have a bad practice, you just need to have a short memory and just move on to the next one. If you have a bad offensive possession, you can't let that affect how you play defense on the other end."

What has been your favorite moment at Temple?

Atkinson: "I guess it would be during freshman year, when we went to the NCAA tournament. It was a really exciting moment to see our names go across the screen and go down in history. It was a different feeling. Everyone always watches the tournament so it was a special experience to be in it. I just wanted to work hard to get back there."

Niang: "There were two moments that really stood out to me. The first is when we made the NCAA tournament. I was happy to be there and be on the big stage, but I wish I was able to play. So it was cool, but I think the other moment, the bigger one, would be winning the Big 5. I was a bigger part of it so it meant more to me. We had really wanted to win the whole game. It didn't really go our way in the middle of the game but it was a great feeling, especially, seeing us come back and play so well at the end."

Forde: "I would say beating Penn for a share of the Big 5. It was one of the most exciting and big moments. Everyone was yelling, it was crazy, I was smiling from ear to ear when the buzzer finally sounded. I had been playing intramurals and had gone to the City 6 tournament in my time at Temple and grew up near the city, so I knew how much the Big 5 meant. Actually winning it at the D1 level--as opposed to intramurally--was really exciting."

Who was your mentor when you first got to Temple? Who have you mentored now?

Atkinson: "Coach CJ [Jones] is my position coach. He helped me a lot, especially through the surgery process. He's just a really positive person to be around and brings a lot of positive energy. He makes sure you bring a lot of energy to the team. I just make sure I give freshmen tips - like making sure you work hard at practice or communicate with coaches."

Niang: "Coach Way. When I first got here, there was a lot of talking between us and helping me adapt to Philly since I'm not from here. It was tough at first, but Coach Way got me through it and helped me find my place."

Ciara: "Coach Cardoza. She saw me shooting around before I joined the team. She kept encouraging me to try out when I was just a manager. She had asked me one day "you don't want to play basketball?" and I didn't have an answer for her. I realized that the opportunity was right there. As far as being a mentor, even though I'm older and have learned a lot, I still learn a lot from our captains, like Mia."

What skills and messages are you going to take away from Temple when you graduate?

Shannon: "I'd say I took away communication skills. With a lot of different personalities on the team, you have to know how to handle each person and be able to talk with each other. Also, a willingness to do hard work and be tough, both physically and mentally. I came in thinking I was already mentally tough but I had to dig deeper and pull out more strength during my time here. I would definitely say mental toughness was something I'll take away from Temple."

Niang: "Never giving up. The first few years at Temple didn't go my way as far as playing time, but I worked my way up and now I'm happy here. I feel like this year we have definitely adopted the "never give up" strategy, and it showed up during the game against Penn, when we came back from down 15 points."

Forde: "From Temple in general, I learned to enjoy life and wake up with a fresh attitude. I had a rough freshman year but finally found my place at Temple. I love Temple as a school so much that I thought I'd bring my passion for basketball together with my passion for the school and it served as a cherry on top for my senior year. I'm really happy it all came together for me this year."

The women will play their Senior Day game on Saturday, February 29th, at 2:00 pm in McGonigle Hall against Tulsa.

Temple University Athletics

Women's Basketball Seniors Reflect on Their Time at Temple

Players Mentioned

Shannen Atkinson

Ciara Forde

Lena Niang

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