When Rosetta Adzasu moved with her family from Italy to Charlottesville, Virginia at the end of her seventh grade year, she lived in a three bedroom apartment with her family and members of extended family, totaling nine people. The Ghana-born 23-year-old had moved both times for father’s job.
Living in Charlottesville impacted her.
“When you think of America you think of big cars and big houses,” she said, adding that her living circumstances in Italy and Ghana were better than in America.
While attending public schools in Virginia, she “had to learn to be tough.”
That toughness, though, translated well into the game of basketball, and she joined her first team in eighth grade.
Basketball in some ways has turned out to be her salvation in the States. Her parents divorced, and times continued to be hard for her when her single mom moved her family of four to West Linn during Adzasu’s sophomore year.
Adzasu stood out on the court during her three years at West Linn High School, and she went on to play ball in college, eventually landing at Division One Washington State University, where she played for two years, finishing her degree in criminal justice. Now, the West Linn resident is preparing to play her second year of professional basketball in Finland for the Kerava Energia Team.
Playing professional ball is a dream come true forAdzasu, though Europe is just a stepping-stone to her ultimate dream of playing in the WNBA.
“I’d watch basketball on TV and I’d see how much money the players made, and I’d want that. It is what channeled me to play basketball. There were meals we didn’t eat,” she said.
Having played on a variety of levels in basketball in the states, she has noticed differences between playing in Europe and playing in the States.
“In Finland, [basketball] is more poised, and very skilled based and less aggressive, while in America basketball is more physical. The transition for me was keeping my hands to myself,” she said. “And, in Europe, players are not allowed to talk to the referees during games, and the crowd is more composed.”
Her former West Linn High coach Glenn Lee says Adzasu is one of the most talented kids he’s coached.
“A lot of that is God-given, you can’t teach that, but she has also worked hard and has the drive,” Lee said.
If hard work, skill, and drive are what have pushed Adzasu to the top of her game, it’s her character that will keep her there, WNBA or not.
“There is no doubt in my mind she has the talent to make the WNBA. But, it’s her leadership ability and character that make her stand out,” said Kumbeno Memory, who has worked with Adzasu at his Portland Hoop Dreams program.
Adzasu may have initially seen the dollar sign when she dreamed of playing professional ball, “but, money does not drive me now.”
Helping others does. She started a business assisting people with nutrition and she wants to mentor other players.
“As I got older I started to understand, there is more to life than basketball and being a good player. People look for character. Some athletes have missed that and have gotten into drugs and other trouble,” Adzasu noted. “I want to inspire athletes to be not just the best athlete but also the best person.”
(A version of this story was published on oregonlive.com OREGONLIVE -Rosetta Story and in the print edition of The Oregonian in August 14, 2013)
