Hanna Bowden

About Me:

From the second I could walk as a kid I was always on the move. When I had the opportunity to play team sports I took it. I first started playing basketball when I was 8 years old. I don’t know if you believe in love at first sight but I believe in love after first bounce. From the moment I first touched a basketball I was hooked. I didn’t want to play any other sport but basketball. My parents listened to my pleas and installed a hoop in the driveway. I was always out working on my shot. As I grew up, my love for the sport continued. I would play in any league that I could find. My identity was wrapped up in being Hanna the basketball player. 

Thankfully this drive pushed me not only to play well on the court but to do well in the classroom. My dream was to play in college. I did everything necessary to make that dream a reality, which in the end paid off. I was able to land a full ride scholarship and play in college for a team that was nationally ranked and ended my last two seasons with a 61-4 record. There is nothing better than playing for a packed house where you can’t even hear your teammate next to you tell you what play you are supposed to be running. 

Since hanging up my shoes I have traded in the snow and mountains for the beach and sun. I still play pick up games from time to time and have remained very active from playing flag football to training for a marathon. Sports have taught me so much about myself and how to treat the people around you. I have a heart for giving back and want to help guide younger athletes on their journey. Playing sports is a blast and I want to make your experience the best that it can be!

I grew up in a small town in the rocky mountains that was about 5 hours from the nearest city. This was a little limiting on the coaching that I could receive. However, my high school team held our own within the state, which did give me the opportunity to play against some of the best players. A big part of the reason that our team was so good was because of my coach. He also became a great mentor to me. From a young age he knew I had potential to play beyond the high school level and took the extra time to give me advice on the parts of my game that I should be working on, one being strength training. He would show up to the gym early to help me work on my shot and always mentored me on my sport and how to be a great person. I am very thankful for all of the help and knowledge of the game that he gave to me. Even with all of that extra time spent preparing, his knowledge was limited on what life was truly going to be like at the next level. 

When I got to college I didn’t feel fully prepared, as I’m sure most athletes feel. I was kind of drowning. It wasn’t until one of the older girls on my college team recognized that I would be a great player did I start to feel like I could keep my head above the water. She took me under her wing and would do workouts with me and helped get me up to speed on playing at the college level. This relationship was paramount because I could relate to her on a level that I was never able to with my high school coach. Even after she graduated I could call her for advice and tips on what to do. This advice was coming from someone who had been there and knew what was going to happen or at the very least being able to relate.

Her role in my life made a great difference in who I was as a player. Even to this day I think about how important it was to have a mentor who knew what I was up against. I wish that I had that knowledge in high school before I went into college. I know I would have been an even better player if I had the opportunity to link up with a female athlete who knew what playing at the next level was like.