My name is Geraline Handsome. I began playing team basketball at the age of 8. I played girls’ basketball for Jeff Davis High School in Hazlehurst, Georgia. After high school, I played women’s basketball for the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in Birmingham, Alabama.

At UAB, I held records in the number of games played, blocked shots, free-throw percentages, 3-pt shooting, and assists. I am also a member of the 1000 Point Club, which means I scored over a 1000 points during my career at UAB.

So, based on my statistics, you can say that I was a pretty decent player.

However, there were things about me that the statistics didn’t show. That was that I had a bad attitude. The people who knew this were those closest to me. Those people were my teammates, my coaches, and anyone sitting in the stands watching any of my games. My attitude was so bad that after my last college game, as soon as that horn sounded to end my college career, my coach, my teammates, and a few other people wanted nothing to do with me.

My character revealed lack of honor and respect for people, irresponsibility, and selfishness. As a result, many of my personal and professional relationships suffered. My attitude caused lost friendships and lost career opportunities. It is my desire for other student athletes not to suffer this same fate.

Through speaking, coaching, writing, and teaching, via my Creating the Super Athlete Course, I hope to help student athletes develop the attitudes necessary to be successful in the classroom, in public, in competition, and in their future careers.