Regardless of what others think of the Alabama women’s basketball team, Shafontaye Meyers said she believes in them. The team may not be the best yet, but she said she is confident her team can become something better.
“I have to get better as a player and we have to get better as a team,” Meyers said. “It’s a good feeling when you know you want to improve more as a team.”
Standing 5 feet 8 inches, the junior has a few seasons under her belt. Though this is the first year she has started, her freshman and sophomore years helped her become the player that she is and help her guide the team.
“I want to be more of a role model [than a leader],” Meyers said. “I try to step up when we fall. I want to be a role model for the team.”
In high school, Meyers was ranked 13th in the nation in 2010 in scoring, averaging 29.2 points her senior year.
The native Alabamian has been with the Crimson Tide for three years, and each year she has proved herself once more that she is a leader. This year alone has been her biggest year so far. Meyers has bested herself points-wise by scoring a record 23 points against Auburn in January.
Though she claims she’s not the leader of the team, she is the one the team looks to in order to make the shots they need to make. Her three-point shooting average 30.2 percent, her field goal shooting average is 32.5 percent, and her free throw average is 70.4 percent.
Coach Wendell Hudson relies heavily on her shots because Meyers is willing to take the shots no one wants to take.
“Shafontaye Meyers is a big shot taker,” Hudson said. “She might not make them but there’s no question that it’s going to be a good shot. She steps and makes those shots. Everybody looks at the final score, and what I look at is what got us to that point.”
Like Hudson, the team looks to one of its top players to help bring them together. Even though the Tide is on an eight-game losing streak, Meyers’ goal is to help the team come together to become one synchronized unit.
“I think we need to come together,” Meyers said. “We’re not always together. Sometimes we play together but we quit before we can really come together. We are letting ourselves get in the way of the game but it’s a team thing and we sometimes forget about that.”
Hudson’s go-to girl doesn’t feel the intense pressure some athletes may feel. With her team around her, she knows that she can accomplish what needs to be done.
“I guess I’m used to it by now because I know that we have to get [the shots],” Meyers said. “When you have to get the shots, you have to get them. You don’t feel the pressure because in the end you’re going to come through cause you have help from everybody.”
In a league with fierce competitors, Meyers knows that enjoying the game is the most important factor of all. Though the losing streak weighs heavily on her mind, enjoying the game with her team is the overall goal for any game.
“I want to have fun and I want to enjoy the game,” Meyers said. “When you’re together as a team, it’s always fun. It’s a good thing for the team to have fun.”
Meyers’ time at Alabama has helped her become a better player not only individually, but she has also helped the team become a better team.
“She has made herself a complete player,” Hudson said. “She’s playing well. She came off the bench and had that spark that we needed.”
Her motto is to give it all that she’s got, and though the season is about to come to a close, she’s inspired to keep going for her team and for the fans.
“I like to give it all I got,” Meyers said. “I know I’m doing it for the audience and [they] are my inspiration. I know because of that, they are helping me get to where I am now.”
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