When two Miss Basketball winners from Minnesota get together, they talk about what they know best: hoops.
Hard evidence to support this theory surfaced on Monday, when Rachel Banham of the Connecticut Sun spoke with Nia Hollie, current Michigan State Spartans player and correspondent for The Summitt.
Before Banham launched her WNBA career, she was named Miss Basketball Minnesota in 2011, following an outstanding prep career at Lakeville North High School. Hollie earned the coveted award in 2016, thanks in part to two state titles she won at Hopkins High School.
Banham discussed the mental transition between her first and second season. Her rookie campaign was cut short due to a nagging knee injury, but the 23-year-old doesn’t view the ordeal as one that robbed her of any experience.
“I got to play half my rookie season, so I feel like I really did actually go through my rookie stuff,” Banham said. “Mentally, I feel a lot different. For all rookies, you go through the stages of questioning everything you do, not knowing where you fit, not knowing how good you are. Now…I know where I can fit, I just got to play to that.”
The two also reflected on Banham’s moment of celebrity. In her senior season with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Banham’s play drew the attention of NBA legend Kobe Bryant. The two got to meet in one of Bryant’s last games.
It happened!!!!!!! 💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽 pic.twitter.com/DRsScVDYRS
— rachel banham (@rachelbanham_1) April 7, 2016
Hollie is still waiting for a tweet from her idols, Kevin Durant and LeBron James. In the meantime, she inquired Banham about dueling Bryant one-on-one.
“Absolutely!” Banham said. “He would destroy me, but I would love every second of it.”
Watch the video above to hear more from two basketball prodigies.