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Miss Iowa Basketball 2002 Talks Back

Linda Sayavongchanh. Photos Courtesy of Drake University.

By Jon Chang | Special to AsianWeek

“She’s a hawk!” Linda Sayavongchanh has heard this many times about herself while playing basketball, and rightly so. She is a cold-blooded, lethal, ball hawk. In basketball parlance, she is a defensive wizard, a player who scores and destroys her opponent’s morale with her defense. Her prowess ignites the Drake University Bulldogs to countless uncontested lay-ups and can swiftly shift a game’s momentum in favor of Drake.

The gaze. Once Sayavongchanh gives you that gaze, with her brow furrowed and eyes set, you are being hunted. Make no mistake about it, the gaze is the beginning of her pursuit of the basketball, which lies, precariously, in your hands. She intends to steal it from you, either directly or by stealing a pass intended for you or by you. She may take a step and a half away from you, but this is merely a pretext, a respite from the inevitable. Her instincts may seem preternatural, but the secret to her timing is in the rhythm of the bouncing basketball. She hears the game of basketball.

Sayavongchanh plays a hard game of basketball against all opponents.

Northern Iowa is tonight’s opponent and their offense is sputtering. ayavongchanh’s confidence soars because of the steals and her defense. She scores on a variety of jump shots and spectacular drives to the hoop. She’s in the “zone” and spends the rest of the game moving and scoring effortlessly. Sayavongchanh records eight steals during the game, which ties Drake’s school record. She also scores 15 points with 3 assists. Drake wins 62-51.

Ms. Sayavongchanh is a 5'9" freshman shooting guard for the Drake University Bulldogs, averaging 12.4 points, three assists and two-and-a-half steals per game. She was born and raised in Iowa, is of Laotian descent, and was voted Iowa’s Miss Basketball 2002 by the state’s sportswriters.

AsianWeek: Do you have any nicknames?

Sayavongchanh: Yes, Sy, which is short for Sayavongchanh. Or my dad’s favorite, Bulldog. Last game, he said to me, “ Nice game, Bulldog.”

AW: How did you get started playing basketball?

Sayavongchanh: In the fourth grade, my parents signed me up for a girl’s basketball league at the Salvation Army Community Center in Des Moines, Iowa. They always wanted me to try new things, to be active and to have fun. However, Maysa, my older brother, is the person who introduced basketball to our family. He played on his middle school teams and we went to see his games. Later, my parents built a basketball court in our backyard. We also watch basketball together on television. Basketball is sort of a family affair for us.

AW: What are your favorite hobbies and activities other than basketball?

Sayavongchanh: Sleep, music (techno-trance, R&B, hip hop) and eating Chinese food. There are no Laotian restaurants in Des Moines, so I eat a lot of Chinese food.

AW: You won the 2002 Miss Iowa Basketball award. What did this mean to you?

Sayavongchanh: It was a nice award to win, but I also saw it as an award for the Asian community in Iowa. I felt that those articles, which sort of praised me, were, in fact, praising the Laotian/Asian community. A lot of people seemed to be happy that someone from our community got the attention or won an award. It was never just about me, there were so many people, who gave me support along the way or who taught me the game of basketball.

AW: What is your major and what are your educational goals at Drake?

Sayavongchanh: My major is elementary education. I really like children so I’d like to be an elementary school teacher someday. Another one of my goals is to be a basketball coach.

AW: What are your strengths as a basketball player?

Sayavongchanh: My strengths are definitely defense and steals. When I start to get steals in a game, I feel that it picks everyone up. It affects the other team psychologically. The opposing team becomes scared to bring the ball up against me. I can see it in their face or body language. When I see that, my confidence level goes up and it’s easier to play. This boosts my offensive game as well.

AW: Which schools recruited you?

Sayavongchanh: Drake and Creighton. I am lucky that Drake is in my hometown of Des Moines. My parents come to all of my home games.

AW: Who is your favorite player?

Sayavongchanh: My number is 23 so, of course, it’s MJ. [Michael Jordan’s number is also 23.] I also like Tracy McGrady. I’d also like to give a shout-out to my younger sister Sherry, who is one of my favorite players because she didn’t let an anterior cruciate injury keep her from playing basketball again.

AW: What are your goals as a basketball player, for yourself and your team?

Sayavongchanh: As a team, I would like for us to make the Sweet Sixteen again as we did in last year’s NCAA tournament (2001-2002). Individually, I would like to break the Drake steals record. I need nine steals to do that. I tied the record with eight against Northern Iowa. I would also like to eventually be named as an All-American candidate like Carla Bennett, my current teammate.