Jan. 27, 1998
Playing to Win - on and off the Court
By Luanne MullerASU Student SID
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| Rameeka Lowe. |
Arizona State senior basketball player Rameeka Lowe has played basketball throughout her life, but she came to ASU to get an education.
"I have always looked forward to getting to college so that I could get a degree," she said. "This is something I have looked forward to for as long as I can remember."
Lowe, a starting guard from Seattle, feels that school should always come first.
"Basketball is something that I do for fun, but school is something I do no matter what," she said. "I have thought about not playing basketball, but I have always known that I would go to school."
In coming to school, Lowe has also come to play basketball. She is the only starter that returned from the 1996-97 season. She averaged 7.5 points and 3.0 rebounds in 13 games last year.
This year, Lowe wants to have a winning season.
"I want our team to keep playing together and improve as a team so we can have a winning season," she said. "On a personal level, I want to keep improving offensively and defensively. I want to keep working hard."
Working hard is what has enabled Lowe to get to ASU. She went to Grayson County College in Denison, Texas, before coming to ASU. She led the team to a 66-4 record over two seasons, and earned All-State, All-Region and All-Conference recognition her senior year.
Before that, Lowe gradated from Garfield High School in Seattle in 1993. She was ranked as the top defensive player in the state, and she led her team in steals, rebounds, blocks and assists. She also passed the 1,000-point career scoring mark.
Before Lowe gets ready to play basketball, she follows the exact same routine.
"I like to take a nap and shower before the game," she said. "Then, I like to go and sit in our locker room and think about the game."
After thinking, Lowe goes out and plays to win. She has started in every game this season, and is shooting 34.4 percent from the field, 35 percent from the three-point arc and 80 percent from the free-throw line. She also has set career highs in steals (8 on 12-20-97), rebounds (7 on 12-21-97), assists (10 on 11-20-97) and points (15 on 12-6-97) this year.
When Lowe is not playing basketball or going to school, she likes to play video games, read books and watch movies. She also likes to keep in touch with her family, whom she is very close to.
"My mom is like a sister to me," she said. "She is my best friend. I talk to her every other day."
Lowe also talks to her brother, who is a 6-5 point guard on his high school team.
After Lowe graduates and gets her degree, she would like to continue to play basketball, whether it be overseas or in a professional league in the United States. After basketball, Lowe says she would like to go back to school and get her master's degree. She hopes to work with children.
Before that, though, Lowe will continue to contribute to the ASU basketball team and go to school, and by the end of the year, she will have the degree that she has always wanted.