Since making a splash in 1994 by hitting an NCAA-title-winning three-pointer for the North Carolina Tarheels, this forward has steadily climbed through the ranks of professional women's hoops.

After only one year in the WNBA, some might still consider the Charlotte Sting's Charlotte Smith a rookie. But the truth is, since her graduation from the University of North Carolina in 1995, Charlotte Smith has been on the pro ball fast-track, playing one year in Italy and three years in the now defunct American Basketball League (ABL).

Most known for hitting the game-winning 3-point shot for the Tarheel women's first NCAA title, in 1994, her 23 rebounds during that game stands as an NCAA Tournament record. Smith was also the first woman in 10 years to dunk during an official college game.

Chalking up 217 assists, 68 career steals, and averaging 13 points per game while with the ABL, this 6'0" forward has the skills and experience to become an impact player in the Sting lineup. In this interview, Smith discusses what it was like to play overseas, why she stayed with the ABL when the WNBA premiered, and the secret to making a successful steal.

Gball: Right after college, you played ball in Italy for a year. A long way from your home in Shelby, N.C., what was that experience like?
Smith: I was in a small town called Ferrara, Italy. It's in the northeastern part of Italy about 20 minutes from Bologna. It was difficult because I wasn't used to being away from my family. When I went to college I was only 2 1/2 hours away. I like being around my family, so when I got over to Italy, it was very difficult. They weren't able to come and see me play or visit at all.

Was it difficult going from Carolina, where you had more support, to the Italian league where there were much fewer fans?
No, it wasn't difficult because when I first got to Carolina it wasn't like we had thousands of fans either. It wasn't until after we established ourselves as a national caliber team that we got a larger fan base. It's great to have fans behind you who support you, but that's not what drives me, in particular. It comes from within. I was just playing for the love of the game.

Was it the ABL that drew you back to the US, or were you homesick?
Yeah, it was the ABL! I was overseas when I heard about the ABL and it was like my savior. Because I wanted to be home, I wanted to be back in the States, and I just missed everything about the States. It makes you appreciate America so much more when you've been abroad for a while. And so I thought, "This is my big chance to get back to the States and be able to play pro basketball at home in front of my friends and family."

So you enjoyed your time with the ABL?
It was a very great experience, and if I had known the league was going to fold, I would have done the same thing over again. Because it was a great experience for me. The fans were great and it was a great time in my life.

Between Italy and the ABL's Colorado, Seattle, and San Jose teams, was it difficult having to make the transition to four cities inside of four years?
A lot of people don't know the story behind that. When I heard I was being traded from Colorado that was quite a shock for me, because I was the second leading scorer on the team and the leading rebounder, and I felt like Colorado would be home for me. It was a comfort zone. When I heard the news that I was being traded to Seattle I was going through a crisis because my mom had just passed away, and I was like, "Okay, Seattle. I don't think this is the place I want to be--where it's dreary and rainy all the time. That will just make me even more depressed." So once I heard I had been traded I was like, "I don't want to go to Seattle. And if I have to go to Seattle, then I'm just not going to play anymore." I just could not play in Seattle at that point in my life. And then I was traded to San Jose.

So how did you pick yourself up and get refocused for San Jose with all those changes in your professional and personal life?
Well you basically have to roll into it. What other options do you have? It was the ABL versus going back overseas, and I guess that just helped me make up my mind quickly. You just have to pick up the pieces and keep on going.

I noticed that once you entered the ABL, your free-throw percentage really improved, from 65% in college to 76%. Is that a skill you really worked on?
I think it just got better with experience and confidence. In college I took more free-throw attempts than ever in my career, so maybe that just groomed me to be a better free-throw shooter in the professional ranks.

When the ABL came near its end, many players were very quick to join the newly formed WNBA. Why did you stay a year beyond your contract?
For some people I think the attraction to the WNBA was a matter of money, to be honest. When you had two professional leagues in the US, you had more leverage, and a lot of people used that leverage. But I figured that the ABL was the league that gave me my first opportunity to play professional basketball here in the States. When I came home, the only league was the ABL. I thought, "They showed loyalty to us, so why not show loyalty to them?" So that was just the decision that I made--that I was going to stick with the ABL. I was under a one year contract, and after that there were rumors that the financial stability of the league wasn't that good, but I thought, I'm just going to be loyal and if the league does fold, then so what. I can say that I was one of the loyal people who stood by the ABL until the end. When the ABL folded, then I entered the WNBA draft.

Once you did enter the WNBA draft in 1999, were you pleased to hear the Sting call your name in the third round? Where you happy to be going home to N.C., finally?
I was excited to still be playing professional ball in the States, but I don't know how excited I was to be this close to home. Because when I was weighing it, I was thinking being near to home probably has its negatives as well as positives, like people bugging you all the time for tickets. I thought it would be hectic. But actually it's not that bad. It's definitely good to be close to home, because when I want to get away and not feel like a basketball player, then I can always go home and be with my immediate family, which is an outlet for me.

With one year in the WNBA behind you, what's your report? Is it all you expected?
Actually I just look at it as a great opportunity. I'm thankful for the opportunity to be able to play professional basketball in the States. Compared to the ABL, of course the amenities are better because the WNBA is backed by the NBA and it has more money--for instance, we stay in the Radison and the Hyatt now. But that stuff doesn't matter to me, because I just love to play the game.

What aspect of your game are you working to improve now?
I think it's always better to be a threat from all around, so I've been concentrating on everything: my outside shooting; my driving game. But one thing, in particular, that I have to concentrate on this year is being a better rebounder, because I think over the last couple years that knack and desire to really be in there and be a rebounding force has lessened. It's got to get better, and that comes with effort.

During most of your years at Carolina, the women's team had better records and postseasons than the men's team, but weren't, perhaps, as applauded. Do you think it's advantageous to be the sister sport of a notable men's team like Carolina, or is it harder to get recognition and draw fans?
I think that winning draws fans, and everyone loves a winning program. And once we started to establish ourselves as a national caliber team, we put fans in the stands. So it's all about putting on a quality game and winning games. For a while I felt like our program was overshadowed by the men's team, but they had a winning reputation. And so I think once we started winning, and definitely after we won that national championship, that got us more recognition.

Since you are well remembered for sinking the last-second shot to clinch the Tarheels' 1994 NCAA title, do you think last-second shots are moments you can prepare yourself for?
I think throughout your entire career, the only way you can be successful is to be confident. So I think it's one of those spur of the moment things you can't prepare for. That ability is something you just acquire. From the beginning of time when you first start playing basketball, and your desire is to be a successful person, I think you have to have a lot of confidence, and so that's what sees you through.

Your number of steals steadily improved throughout college. And then in the ABL, you were averaging a litte under one steal a game. What, in your mind, is the key to making a successful steal?
I like the philosophy we have this year with the Sting, and I think it will allow me to be more of an aggressive player on defense and enable me to get more steals. The philosophy is to play in the gaps. Not actually denying with your arm so an opponent sees that your arm is out there and you're denying the player. It's more of a deceptive type of defense, where you sag in the gap and then you go for the steal. I think that's a big part of being a player who can get a lot of steals--being deceptive and making it look like a player is open when she's really not. So I think I'll have a better opportunity to up my stats, as far as steals is concerned, with the type of defense we have now--and that's playing the gaps instead of a full-denial defense.

Of all the places your visited or lived because of basketball, which city has been your favorite and why?
I liked Denver because there was a lot of stuff to do and I'm an outdoorsy type person. I'm not a skier, but I went to ski summits all the time, and the mountains. Colorado is very beautiful.

What do you think stands out most about your game and how did you cultivate that aspect?
I'm not a flashy type player, I'm just solid and fundamental, and I think one of the things I pride myself on now is my defense. And I think a lot of that stems from effort. I take a lot of pride in defense because I don't want anybody making me look bad or taking me off the dribble. Good defense takes awareness and effort, and you can do a lot of things to work on footwork.

If you weren't playing ball, what would be your dream job?
I would like to model. I think that would be cool. I like fashion and I like shopping, so that's where that interest comes from. And I've done a few little things as far as modeling for the local newspapers in the cities that I've played in. And then I did the show with Alexander Julian, so it was fun.

As far as women's athletics have come since the 1970s, and having played at so many levels yourself, where would you like to see improvements or changes in the future?
I would like to see improvements in every level. I feel that we've come a very long way as women athletes, and I think people should recognize, now, that sports is not about gender. It's about the quality of play in the game. And as far as basketball is concerned, the best quality, the purest game, in basketball is women's basketball. I think once people learn to appreciate and respect athletics, have open minds, and not look at whether it's a male or female playing that particular sport, they'll see that there is quality play in women's sports.

It's hard now at the professional level. When we were in college we could get students and a lot of people to come to those games, but on the professional level it's really hard to sell women's basketball. I guess it's a seasonal thing. During the summer people would rather be out on the beach or doing other things. But when I was in the ABL, they struggled promoting it during the regular season too, because there were so many other sports to compete with. I just wish people would take the opportunity to come to a game and experience it, and they'd see that it's fun and exciting.

Interview conducted in May by Gball Assistant Editor Shelly Wilson.