University of Minnesota Athletics
Northern Exposure: Tanisha Smith
12/21/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
With many cultural and environmental similarities between Minnesota and Canada, it can be easy to see how one could forget that Canadian athletes are international athletes and not U.S. citizens. In fact, there are nine Golden Gopher athletes who currently reside in Canada. One such athlete is Minnesota freshman forward Tanisha Smith who is a native of Whitby, Ontario, which is about a forty-five minute drive to the northeast of Toronto. Smith joined the Golden Gopher women’s basketball team in the 2006-2007 season, becoming the first athlete from Canada to play for Minnesota’s women’s basketball team.
“I really enjoyed my visit to Minnesota and I fell in love with the campus and my teammates. However, being the first women’s basketball player from Canada is not really a big deal to me because most of the time I am not treated like an international athlete. In a lot of ways, Canada and the United States are similar, so at times I feel like I am not even an international student.”
More widely known for its hockey than its basketball, Canada has mostly been thought of as a hockey nation. However, in recent times, basketball has gained popularity in Canada, with Canadian basketball players coming to the United States to play in college programs and professional leagues. As a result, Smith sees “that more Canadian basketball players will be coming to Minnesota in the future. Canadian universities do not offer full scholarships to athletes. I see more Canadian athletes are coming to the states to participate in sports and receive an education that would be paid for.”
Coming from a foreign country brings about challenges for an international student. Smith was no exception, with her first challenge being that she was separated a great distance from her family.
“At first, it was really hard being away from my family. By being so far away from them, I could not watch my little brothers grow up and play their sports anymore,” said Smith. But, like most international athletes, she has been able to cope with the distance. “I talk with my parents all the time on the phone in order to keep my connection with them. Also, at Christmas time and my birthday, my family comes to Minnesota to visit me.”
Smith is not the only international student on the women’s basketball roster. Center Zoe Harper hails from Western Australia and has also had to go through the process of living in a new country. As a result, the two have grown a special bond that helps them cope with being away from their families.
“I feel like Zoe and I have a special connection because we are the only international students on the team. We do not get to see our parents half as much as the other girls and we have special rules and regulations that only apply to us too,” explained Smith.
Not only did Smith have to deal with being away from her family, but she also had to interact with people of a different mindset than those of her native Canada. In addition, these new mindsets brought about a different style of play than the style of play Smith had been accustomed to.
“I see Americans as ambitious people who always try to get what they want. As a result, the style of play in America is a lot more up tempo and aggressive than the style of play in Canada,” said Smith. “Canadians are a lot more laid back and have a slower pace to their games. In order to succeed, I had to adapt to the faster paced style fairly quickly, which I believe I have been able to do.”
Smith encountered the aggressive style of play in three games last year before being sidelined by a partial tear of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her right knee against Chicago State. As a result of her injury, Smith was granted a medical redshirt, which left her sidelined for the majority of the season.
“It was really hard not being able to be out on the court with my teammates,” admitted Smith. “I almost felt separated from the team. My teammates tried to include me, but I still did not feel like I was helping out because I could not contribute on the court. Being a freshman, I felt my first year went off to a bad start.”
With her knee fully healed, Smith looks to have a full season this year, seeing enough court time to be able to contribute to the basketball team. Already having seen action in three games this season, Smith believes her strengths can help the Gophers succeed as they try to capture a Big Ten title.
“Our offense is run with an up tempo style, which is good because I love to run up and down the court,” said Smith “My rebounding is strong and my defense is solid, which I believe will help benefit our team during the Big Ten season.”
Story written by Alex Van Lepp, Athletic Communications Student Assistant
