Sophia hard at work …

There is a popular saying in St Vincent and the Grenadines that “a (wo)man is known by the company (s)he keeps.”

One of this country’s most distinguished athletes, Sophia Young, is giving that statement some weight. She attributed her success in basketball to a disciplined work routine.

“You have to work hard for it,” the WNBA player disclosed, adding that in basketball “if you don’t work hard and improve your skills, you are not going to get anything”. {{more}}

She warned youngsters to be careful of the company they keep.

“The people that you hang around will influence you big time,” she advised.

She expressed gratitude to her hometown residents of Layou for their “amazing reception”.

“I am still learning the game,” she added, saying that her involvement in netball prepared her for basketball.

The medium built youngster admitted that learning to shoot with a backboard was something she had to adjust.

Sophia has leapt from obscurity to be in the annals of this country’s sporting hall of fame.

Sophia left St. Vincent and the Grenadines in 1999, with just a basic knowledge of basketball.

By dint of sheer hard work and determination, she has emerged as a shining light and has etched her name in the sporting record books, not only in St Vincent and the Grenadines but also indeed throughout the world.

She created a name for herself playing for the Baylor Bears, which she led to the NCAA championship in 2004.

Her performance threw her into the spotlight so much so that she was enlisted onto the San Antonio Silver Stars the following year and into the WNBA.

Sophia was again phenomenal and drew the acclaim of many vaunted American coaches. She was one of three players chosen by 14 coaches for the All Stars Rookie team.

Sophia was home recently, soaking up some tropical climate before her Czech Republic sojourn where she will be playing for the next seven months.

From a sporting family, she echoed that her upbringing, niece of well-known sporting personality Hollis Christopher was a decisive factor. And she would like to be a coach in the same trend as Hollis.

National Basketball president and former national coach Wayne Williams was instrumental in Sophia’s scholarship to the USA. Williams indicated that Sophia’s performance would help to “draw others to the game.”

Sophia graduated last May, and announced her intention of playing basketball “as long as I can.”

Sophia was captain of this country’s 1999 Under 16 Netball squad which won the regional tournament in Barbados that year. Sophia received a Special prize for her performance then. She was also a member of the Three Jewel Joggers Netball team, which retained the OECS championship earlier that year.

While the rest of the all conquering Under 16 squad returned home, Sophia moved to Louisiana on a basketball scholarship.

From there on, it has become a fulfillment of a dream.

Sophia was introduced to basketball with the Hairoun basketball Club, a creation of experienced basketball coach and current Basketball Association president Wayne Williams. She ended her debut season in the big League as the number four in offensive rebounding and fifth in defensive rebounding, total rebounds and steals per turnover.