Felisha Legette-Jack is all smiles.
Because, she’s about to make history.
“It’s excellent being back,” says the former Syracuse basketball star. “It’s so funny. I went to college here, I’ve been an assistant coach here, I never came this way.”
Photos from her playing days are on the screens.
A shirt with her jersey number is in the window. In Club 44 at the Dome, that number 33 is everywhere. On the tables, on posterboard, and on so many people. Her friends, her family, and former teammates.
“It’s one of the greatest moments of my life and it’s not even about me,” says Sue Ludwig, one of Legette-Jack’s former Syracuse teammates. “When you know Felisha, if you’ve known her for 30 seconds, you are passionately in love with everything about her.”
“Love is Orange,” adds another ex-teammate, Marita Coffey Finley. “There is so much love in this room that transcends generations.”
“I think that it’s long overdue,” continues Angie Alston-Roberts, yet another former teammate. “But, I am so thankful that it’s finally happening.”
Long overdue is right. The Nottingham product is about to become the first female ever at SU to see her jersey lifted into the rafters.
Unfortunately, Felisha’s mom, who has Alzheimer’s, can’t be here. She’s in a nursing home. Felisha visited her earlier in the day.
“When your mom can’t remember anybody’s name and she says yours,” says Legette-Jack, “that’s pretty cool.”
It if wasn’t for her mom, her family, who grew up in public housing, would have been in the abyss.
“I couldn’t lose because the story had to be told about Thalia Legette,” says her proud daughter. “This is what this culmination is her greatness is.”
And a culmination of hard work, which Felisha exemplified s a player, and now as a coach.
“I tell my players every day,” said the current UB women’s basketball coach. “No one cares about your story until you make them care.”
Felisha has a way with words. She gives the kids a moment they won’t forget, before her moment.
A video narrated by Beth Mowins listed her achievements – like being the Big East Conference Rookie of the Year, scoring over 1,500 points, and grabbing over 900 rebounds. She watched, and got a little teary as her retired jersey made it’s way to the top of the Dome.
“51 percent of the population is women, and you will know each of our names,” said Legette-Jack, who is the first SU female athlete ever to have her jersey retired. “So thank you. I start, you join me, we finish together.”
This is only the beginning.
‘ Este Articulo puede contener información publicada por terceros, algunos detalles de este articulo fueron extraídos de la siguiente fuente: spectrumlocalnews.com ’
