Leah Purvis

Something my years has an athlete has done is challenge me. Although basketball is a very physical sport, some of the biggest challenges I faced had very little to do with my body and all to do with my mindset. I’ve had a few mental hurdles I’d like to share with you guys and all of them, as challenging as they were, have shaped me into the player and woman I am to this day.

My first challenge was getting recruited to play Division I college basketball, something I had dreamed of doing since I first started playing when I was young. I started playing competitively in front of college scouts when I was about 11 and for 6 straight years that’s all I did.  After years and years of sacrifice and hard work when it came time to sign a National Letter of Intent (NLI) I had 0 offers to play anywhere. As a senior in high school I watched my friends, my teammates, and my competition all sign NLI’s to play Division I college basketball and this was one of the hardest times of my life. My dream was to play in college and eventually play professionally overseas if the opportunity came so when the first step of my plan looked as though it wouldn’t come to fruition I was frustrated. I was angry, I was sad, but most of all I was determined. I’m someone who firmly believes in controlling the controllables and thinking positively, so during this time I kept my butt in the gym and never lost hope. This was the first of many mental battles I would face in my sport and was also one of the first times in my life that I truly saw that nothing is promised no matter how certain everything seems. My recruiting process not going as planned pushed me harder than any coach, trainer, or opponent previously had. It tested my will to fight for my dream because at this point my mom and I were the only ones still fighting and it also tested my confidence in myself as a player. In February of my senior year, Miami University (Ohio) contacted me and flew me out for an official visit and tryout with the team. They offered me a full scholarship, which I accepted after probably 2 seconds, and everything I worked for came true. This battle tested how hard I was willing to work for something I knew I deserved and also challenged my ability to stay positive when all else failed.

My next challenge came about three years later in my junior year of college. At this point in my Miami career I’d been through some ups and downs. My freshman year was strong; I led the team, called the shots, and was a huge factor in every game. My sophomore year I hit a slump when my position on the court had changed; the ball wasn’t always in my hands and I struggled to find my niche like I had the year before. My junior year, with a completely new coaching staff, I was once again in new territory but this time I had reached probably the lowest point I’d ever had. In practice and games my shots weren’t falling so I just stopped shooting. On and off the court my mind was foggy, so not only did the game plan go in one ear and out the other but my social life took a hit as well because I began to isolate myself. I cried before, during, and after practice, my appetite was diminishing, and I was very clearly depressed. I didn’t know what to do but I knew I wasn’t my usual happy Leah self so I reached out to my mother and my team’s athletic trainer (who was like my mother in Ohio) and we set me up with someone to talk to at student counseling. After a few weeks of counseling, and being honest with myself, my coaches and my teammates, I began to come out of my “funk”. The biggest challenge for me during this time had nothing to do with my shooting, or my stat line, but everything to do with how I chose to think about myself. I had started solely identifying myself as an athlete, so when I wasn’t performing like I wanted to I lost sight of everything else that made me who I was. My counselor challenged me to think about myself as more than “a basketball player”. Yes, this was a huge part of my identity, but that’s not all I had to offer. I’m a chef, a terrible singer and dancer (but I do it anyway), and someone who loves watching reality TV. More importantly, I’m a strong woman, I’m a scholar, I’m a leader, and I’m a great friend and someone who cares about those around me. Once I took a step back, and got out of my own head, this brought me back to balance and helped me re-center myself to where I needed to be. Ultimately my junior year was challenging but one that was filled with the most growth I’d experienced during my college years. I realized truly how I had to offer other than baskets and this is the mentality I’d used to carry myself through my slump. Without that year my mindset toward adversity, on and off the court, would not be as balanced as it is and I probably wouldn’t be where I am today. This mentality is what prepared me to be a captain, the commanding voice of my team, and confident consistent threat that I was my entire senior year.

Without the mental struggles I experienced both in high school and in college, I can promise you I wouldn’t be in the position I am today. Currently, I’m a professional basketball player heading overseas to Israel to play in their Division I professional women’s league. I’m both nervous and excited to start my new life where for the next 6 months I’ll be living in Holon, a city 5 miles south of Tel Aviv, living out a dream of mine since I was in middle school. Although I’m stepping into unfamiliar territory as a rookie, I’m confident my experiences have prepared me well to take on the next chapter of my athletic career. As I take this next step the lessons I’m taking with me are simple. Control the controllables, stay positive, work my ass off, and always remember I’m more than just an athlete. I’m confident that if I do these things my rookie season will be successful and I’m looking forward to see where it goes and what lessons I will learn next.