Following an introduction of her achievements as lengthy as her stance" former UNC women's basketball player Tresa ""Tree"" Brown-Tomlinson took the stage Tuesday night beaming.
Showing her UNC spirit dressed in Carolina blue" Brown-Tomlinson spoke to a group of about 35 people detailing her life and experiences.
The entire women's basketball team was present sitting in the front two rows of the audience" in addition to coach Sylvia Hatchell.
""She was one of the best players I ever coached"" said Debby Stroman, a professor in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science and one of Brown-Tomlinson's former coaches.
Not only did she have technical skill"" but she also had passion.""
The lecture was put on by the General Alumni Association's student alumni relations committee.
Brown-Tomlinson delivered a speech about her life"" her experiences as a basketball player and ways in which she has given back to the community through sharing what she has learned.
""I learned at a young age what it meant to be determined"" Brown- Tomlinson said. I learned what it was to be able to sacrifice and commit yourself to something you want to achieve.""
Brown-Tomlinson juggled her responsibilities as the oldest child as she took care of her younger siblings while still making time to practice.
""I would play ball from sun up to sun down. I set a schedule for myself. I would get up" get my chores done run to the gym run back for lunch to make sure my siblings were fed go back to the gym then go back in time to have dinner on the table when my parents got home" she said.
All this hard work paid off, as she was heavily recruited to play basketball for UNC and turned down several other universities' offers.
Brown-Tomlinson also was named one of 13 ACC Tournament Legends on Jan. 22.
She came back to North Carolina and began working for the Department of Corrections, primarily in the Raleigh area.
She also became a minister for the New Trinity Missionary Baptist Church in Clayton in 1999 in addition to volunteering as an assistant coach for Clayton High School's varsity women's basketball team.
When asked why she chose UNC, Brown-Tomlinson explains she wanted to come to a place where she could make a difference - where she could be part of the up and coming.
I wanted to come and help make a difference in UNC's women's basketball program"" Brown-Tomlinson said.
Make a difference she did as she scored 1,931 points throughout her time playing for UNC and received honors in 1984 as the MVP of the ACC tournament, scoring an average of 20.8 points per game.
She seemed to have a lot of experience and a lot of good things to say about going beyond just playing a sport" senior rugby player Jennifer Velez said of the lecture.
Brown-Tomlinson ended by stressing the need to give back to the community.
I challenge you ... to share your legacy knowledge experiences and your skills she said.
Remember what you see and make it a lasting experience because once you leave school" you should make time to give back.""
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
