Imani Tate
Editor’s Note: This is the part of a series of profiles of the athletes on the VI Women’s Basketball team, who will be celebrated this weekend for their gold medal win at the 2023 CAC Games.
Imani Tate is hopeful that the recent gold medal won by the Virgin Islands Women’s Basketball Team will encourage more people to pay attention to the sport. Ms. Tate is one of the phenomenal players who contributed to the Virgin Islands' recent gold medal at the 2023 CAC Games.
Speaking to the Consortium this week, the star athlete observed, “I think in a lot of places women’s basketball has a tendency to be overlooked. But when you accomplish something big like this, people have no choice but to be on notice. I think more little girls are going to be encouraged to push forward in pursuing basketball. Not only knowing but seeing first-hand that anything is possible when you put your mind to it and work hard.”
The 27-year-old is currently based in Spain, where she plays ball professionally. Born in the Bronx but tracing her lineage back to the USVI, Ms. Tate's professional basketball career has spanned nearly 7 years and multiple countries, including Argentina and Ecuador. Ms. Tate previously attended the University at Albany where she majored in communication, with a minor in art. During her enrollment, she helped her team win 4 championships and went to 4 NCAA tournaments.
While she began training with her stepfather from an early age, Ms. Tate says she only began to take basketball seriously somewhere near the end of middle school and the start of high school. Coming from a sporting family, she played a variety of sports and activities, following in her parents footsteps. She was initially drawn to basketball because her father played, but it quickly became the sport she stuck with, as it captured her interest in a way others simply did not.
When asked about the significance of the team’s recent victory, Ms. Tate proclaimed, “It means a lot to me! When I first came to the team, I heard a lot of talk from the veterans about the possibility of what we could do, but to see it become reality and the impact it has made is bigger than any of us individually. It’s an indescribable feeling!”
Ms. Tate describes herself as a player who prioritizes mind over matter. She therefore goes above and beyond to obtain victory. According to her, going into June’s championship game, losing was simply not an option. “We had already lost to DR in the regular bracket and right after we beat PR who was ranked extremely high in the world,” she explains. “That loss for me was eye opening, it was the right kick in the butt we needed to lead us to where we needed to go. I was extremely confident. Heart over hype!”
To maintain her winning mindset, Imani says she focuses on the end goal to keep her motivated. As an athlete, she is fueled by her drive to accomplish things people never thought she could, proving them wrong. In that vein, her sage advice to those wishing to follow the path to athletic victory is simple: “Never give up! Don't let obstacles deter you from your path of greatness. And always have fun!”
Advertisements
