At 5-3, Debbie Black is proof that height isn't necessary to play pro basketball. That doesn't mean, however, that her stature hasn't affected her. After high school, Black had trouble getting interest from major-college coaches before she eventually signed on at St. Joseph's University in her native Philadelphia. But instead of dwelling on her lack of stature, Black turned it into motivation to work harder on her defense, teamwork, and conditioning. As a pro, she won two Australian national championships, and played in the now-defunct women's American Basketball League. Today, at age 36, she's among the oldest players in the WNBA, yet is regarded as one the fittest, and was the 2001 Defensive Player of the Year.

This year, Black is with the Connecticut Sun, a new team formed after the Orlando Miracle was sold to new owners and moved north. The Sun will play their home games a short distance from the home of one of the most successful college women's basketball programs in history, the University of Connecticut Huskies, where two new Sun teammates played: Rebecca Lobo and Nykesha Sales.

GBall caught up with Black during the Sun's training camp. She told us what the preseason is like, how she stays in shape, and how much basketball means to her.

GBall: Players can practice their field goals and free throws alone. But how do you get better at defense?
Black: I really believe it starts with being as fit as you can be, because defense is a lot of hard work. It's a matter of getting your body used to being in that position, for one thing. So the first thing is to get yourself fit. After that, it's a matter of your heart--how bad you want to stop that player with the ball.

What is your fitness routine, off-season and in-season?
I had back surgery three years ago, and ever since that I stay off the concrete, away from running on the roads. But I run a lot on the treadmill. I used to run a lot of long distance, but I have a trainer who works me and I do more interval training. I'll go a minute, or up to five minutes, and then I go up an incline on the treadmill. I'll go a minute on, a minute off, a minute on, a minute off, so it's more like a game. Basketball is really short bursts of speed.

In the off-season I do a lot of aerobic work, too, because there are eight months off. As I get closer to the time I'm actually getting ready for the season, I do a lot of treadmill work, weights, and then a lot on the court, because you have to be on the court, whether it be pick-up games or just working on your shooting and your movement and your offensive skills.

Now, we're in season, but still I work. Yesterday, we had the day off, and I did my treadmill workout because I'm going to be used a little differently this year. I figure I'm going to be used off the bench, and then I need to bring it during that seven minutes. It's brutal, kind of like in a sprint. When I get a day off, I like to get on the treadmill. I guess I have a relationship with that treadmill. I've been around for a long time and I think that's because I'm so fit and understand what it takes to play in this league and how hard it is to play those 34 games in a short time.

Did it take you a while to realize how hard you have to work to maintain that fitness level?
I've always had to work hard, I think, because I'm small. I've always had a work ethic, but I think that as you mature and as you go through different levels--from high school to college, college to pro--you have to work a little smarter. I used to run miles at a time, like 10 miles. I used to love to go out and just run. Now I don't do that as much anymore, and I've tried to interval-train. So I think I've become more efficient. I've always wanted to be the fittest kid on the court, even when I was a little girl. But now it's a matter of understanding how to be a little bit more efficient with what I'm trying to get accomplished instead of just going to the gym for three hours and running or riding a bike.

Did anyone ever discourage you from basketball because of your height?
Going from high school to college, no one recruited me, Division I-wise. The main reason was they thought I was too small to play at that level. Even coming into the pro level they thought maybe I wasn't big enough.

But it doesn't bother me. It made me actually work harder. And you have to use what have. I think that's important, particularly for young girls to understand. Use what you have. Don't try to be somebody else. I've never been a terrific offensive player but I know I can play defense and I know I can run a team, so I try to do the things that I do well and then work on the other parts of my game. A lot of kids try to do everything well. I don't think anyone can do everything.

Are you learning to run the team now?
Yes, absolutely, because I don't know any of these players. I have a terrific point guard who's in front of me, Shannon Johnson, and the two of us together, we're a very good team as far as that goes. She's been with this team for four years but everything is really new to me as far as getting to know the players. But basketball is basketball. It's just a matter of understanding how to get the ball to certain players--where they want it, where they're best with it. So they're getting used to me and I'm getting used to them.

It must be exciting to be in a region where there's a tradition of supporting women's basketball.
It's great. I've never really played in front of large crowds. I've always had away games at New York and Washington and we've had seven-, eight-, or nine thousand in Miami, but we're going to pack it out here. They love people who play basketball, and they're a very knowledgeable fan base because of the Huskies. There's a little pressure for us. They're used to winning and we have to continue that winning feeling, so to speak. In that sense, there's a little pressure for us to get out there and prove we are winners.

Do you feel more pressure being a veteran and being among the oldest players in the league?
Not on this team. This is a veteran team. When I was at Miami I felt more pressure as a veteran because you really had to show the way--we had a lot of young players. Here, I feel, we have four or five girls in their 30s and we have Shannon Johnson who's 29. We have veteran players. It makes your job a lot easier as far as not having to hound all the time because everyone knows what we have to do. It's kind of a neat group of people. We're a pretty old team right across the board. I didn't realize that until I got here. You approach a little differently. With a younger team, you would teach the game a little more. These girls know the game. Now it's matter of understanding what your role is and going out and doing it, and trying to find combinations that work.

In Miami, did you have to bridge a generation gap?
It was strange. After practice, you wouldn't really hang out. But we're all basketball players. Once you got on the court, it didn't really matter if you're 30 or you're 20.

But I try to pass down what I know. This is off the basketball court, but when we were setting up our 401(k)s, and they don't even know what that is and I was trying to explain it. "Put it all in, max it out, before tax dollars," and they didn't really know what I was saying. I was trying to educate them because someone did that for me when I was 20 and I was overseas in Australia. And I'd try to explain that, "Hey, in Miami or wherever you are, you can't go out after every game.' We had game after game after game, and I try to explain things. "Hey, if you want to make it at a pro level, these are the things you're going to have to do."

What's a day in training camp like?
It's the weirdest thing. In the last 12 days I haven't known what's going on in the outside world. You get ready, have breakfast. I always go in early and ride a bike before practice because I have to warm up. That must be my old bones. And then I practice the next two hours, come home, have something to eat. I might take a nap for about 45 minutes. I get up, I take a shower, get ready for practice again, and then do it all over again at practice. At cool down, I might have a cold bath. We have cold whirlpools and I love them. Then I come back home and do it all again the next day.

Physically, it's no problem. I'm sure some people say they are hurting, and I hurt too, but it's thinking, "Where do I fit in? How are we going to make this work?" It's stressful mentally, but if you don't think as much and just play, it's better. You can't help that; it's human nature.

It's kind of crazy. You don't even watch TV, or read a paper. You don't know what's going on, because you're in your own world. Yesterday was our first day off, and on the schedule, we don't have any days off until the 24th. We go every day until we start. You only have a couple weeks to get together. Some days won't be as hard as others. Like today was a particularly hard day, with real hard training, and now we've got to go back and scrimmage, so it will be interesting to see how tired we are. But maybe the next day we'll do a little more drills and teaching.

What advice would you give young players about preparing for a season?
I guess it's because I'm a fitness guru, but I'd say, "Be in shape. Don't expect your preseason to get you in shape." That's the number one thing, because everything else works then. Your mind doesn't go so fast. I think a lot of players try to get in shape in their preseason before actual games start. So you come in with a good base and then they perform better all around. And when I say "in shape," I don't mean just working your body--it's eating right, drinking a lot of water. That's more important than if you can shoot 60 percent from the three-point line because we're not going to shoot like that if you can't do those other things.

What's your biggest basketball memory?
Winning the national championships in Australia. There's no greater feeling than to go through it with those players and do it and to kind of reach your goal because everyone's goal is to win the championship.

What did you get out of your experience as an assistant college coach, at Vanderbilt in 1999-2000?
I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed teaching the players and watching them get better. I always thought I had to be on the court with someone to teach them, really. I just never had been off the court. It was neat to teach them and watch them do the things you had showed them. I'm definitely going to pursue coaching in a couple years. But I have to be a kid as long as I can play the game. I'm going to play it and then I'm going to coach because I really feel confident and knowledgeable enough now to do that.

You feel like a kid?
I do. I still feel like a kid. I'm sure that's my approach to life anyway. I like having fun. Playing, I still feel like a little kid. Basketball's something I grew up with and loved, and to think I'm still playing it--I'll be 37 this year--it seems great. It's like I'm a little kid. When you're young you play sports, you know. I'm not saying you can't when you're older, but I see people my age and they're not running on the basketball court, so yeah, I do feel like a kid--some days more than others. Some days I feel old, too.

As long as my body keeps working for me and I'm competitive and can play somewhere I'm going to play--it's what I love and I don't want to give it up too soon. I don't want to stay in the game too long, either, but I just love when that ball goes up and being on the court. There's nothing that can replace that feeling for me. So I'll milk this until it runs dry.

Interview conducted by Gball Editor David Hill.


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