Catching up with the Chicago Sky's Shyra Ely

My friend Maria Cornelius leaves no stone unturned when she writes a piece, and this story on former Lady Vol Shyra Ely is no exception.

This is why good coaches are pushy coaches:

“I was so thankful to go to Tennessee and have the kind of mental knowledge about the game, the Xs and Os, evolving from just an athlete to a cerebral basketball player,” Ely said. “I am still thankful for that. I am so very thankful for that. And as hard as we worked in the gym, in the weight room, strength and conditioning – Heather Mason is amazing – and while you’re running and doing that stuff you’re probably cussing her out, but I am so thankful for what she put me through. It just made everything else so much easier when I got to the professional league.

And this is why you have to push yourself:

“One thing that I regret is how hard I could have worked in the off-season and I think that had to do with how hard we worked during the season and our season is so long, and when summer finally comes you kind of want to relax, but that’s actually the time where you need to be working just as hard, especially for me when I played the four most of my career and then transitioning into a three player in the WNBA. I just wish I would have taken that more seriously and really, really gotten better each year in the off season.”