Each year, thousands of student-athletes attend NJCAA member colleges to further their education and to play the game they love. By selecting a two-year college, student-athletes advance one step closer towards achieving their dreams and reaching their goals, through countless opportunities and relationships. For former NJCAA women's basketball player PaTrina Goree, dribbling came naturally, and it was her passion, but junior college prepared her for a professional career that extends beyond sports.
"I knew nothing about junior college," the Houston native said with a smile. "It was completely far from my knowledge and I had no idea this avenue even existed." The path through college was a journey for Goree, one with many stops and a curvy road. It began with the University of Southwest (NM) Mustangs, where the eager freshman set forth to stand out among the rest. An outlet and a hobby, basketball levered Goree as a successful player on the junior varsity team. There, she would play against junior college teams, some of the highest ranked in the country, and got a taste for the intense level of competition at the two-year college level.
Through networking and reaching out to every college in Texas, Goree heard from many institutions and all but one declined her offer to workout with their team. After establishing relationships and getting her name out, she began to grow a liking for the program at Jacksonville College (TX), however they lacked space on their roster. Fortunately, she was referred to a former Jacksonville College coach who was at NJCAA member college Eastern Oklahoma State and they had a spot for her. This, she says, was the best year of her college life.
"Eastern was such a great opportunity, it was a beautiful place with mountains and hiking and the people in the town were super friendly," Goree said. "That was probably the most impactful year of my life as far as being a college student-athlete, that's when I started understanding the dynamics and I wish I would have started at junior college." As a Mountaineer during the 2011-12 campaign, Goree was in newspapers, magazines, and was rated one of the top players in NJCAA Region II that year. She especially admired her coach and her teammates' willingness to make her feel at home, in an unfamiliar state.
Former Head Coach Amber Taylor and current NJCAA member Temple College (TX) head coach says she automatically knew Goree was a different type of player when she first arrived on campus. "She was coachable, had a servant's heart, passion, determination, and the will to succeed in everything she put her mind to. She was the first one in the gym and the last one to leave, every single day."
Undoubtedly, the two grew close during Trina's lone season at Eastern and continue to stay in touch many years later. "That place, my coach was amazing, I still have a relationship with her today," Goree said. "She understood how to connect with me with my background and where I came from, not that I was a bad kid, you know but I had been surrounded by harsh environments and she understood how to connect with me and how to take me to the next level as a person and as a player."
Following a memorable year in Wilburton, Goree went on to play at NCAA Division I school Texas Southern as a walk-on and after that year, she played at NCAA Division II school New Mexico Highlands. After college, she had the opportunity to tour with the Harlem Globetrotters, travel to Mexico and Australia for basketball, and decided it was finally time to hang up her shoes.
For what many would find to be a hard transition, Goree did not. She surrounded herself with basketball again, but this time in a different light. The young professional earned a spot with the NBA's Houston Rockets as a marketing associate and basketball operations assistant for two years. With the Rockets, Goree was able to work within each department and mentor incoming interns, taking her knowledge of basketball and applying it to the business side of things. It was during this experience that she would carry what she learned as a student-athlete and transcend it into a resource for other student-athletes to move towards a career beyond sports.
Goree first wanted to start a nonprofit for her high school and kids in that age range, but after disseminating a survey to former student-athletes from her high school and obtaining results, Goree knew she needed to write a book. That was when T.O.O.L's (Taking Ownership Of Our Lives) Beyond Sports was born. What is learned in athletics, can apply in the real world, in business, and in all career paths, she shared. Even though basketball was technically over, Goree was not quite finished paving the way for aspiring professionals like herself.
"Student-athletes already have the tools, that's the thing, and that's my goal with this book is to show them that they have the tools," said Goree. "It's not a step-by-step and how-to book, it's really a book to show them that they have and possess all the tools that they learned through athletics and they can apply them into the real world, just take what you have and apply it."
About a year ago, after her visit to the NJCAA headquarters in Charlotte, NC, Goree contacted Mick McDaniel, NJCAA Board of Regents chair and Tompkins Cortland Director of Athletics and Recreation who was immediately impressed by her spirit and passion for student-athletes. "We've stayed in touch and when she released her book, I wanted to be first in line to support Trina and her mission to share her experiences with others," McDaniel said. " I purchased a copy of "T.O.O.L's" as a gift for each of our TC3 Panthers head coaches so they can use to share Trina's message with our Student-Athletes for years to come."
Since writing the book, Goree has grown in her relationship with the NJCAA and has gifted her book to student-athletes all over, bringing her story full circle. Most recently, she has returned to Eastern Oklahoma to speak with current-student athletes about her experiences, advice, and how to navigate life after college athletics is over. "I believe that her year at junior college was one of the experiences in Trina's life that helped set her up for the success she has today," said Taylor. "She took full advantage of a small college setting with endless possibilities."
The NJCAA provided Goree with the necessary resources to push her to take risks and succeed, even if just for one year. The avenue of opportunity as she called it, was not noticeable to the eye at first, and she wishes she knew it existed earlier on. In coming months and years, Goree hopes to speak at more events and schools, while reaching more professional goals.
"My goal is to touch as many junior college student-athletes as I can because like I said, that was the best year of my life and it also was a huge turning point for me," Goree said. "There was something special about being at a junior college that allows me to relate directly to these kids in so many ways."