Q&A with Former Cyclone Women's Basketball Standout Tracy Gahan

TASMANIA, Australia - Former Iowa State women's basketball standout Tracy Gahan is currently playing in the South East Australian Basketball League for the Northwest Tasmanian McDonalds Thunder. We caught up with Tracy on the island of Tasmania off the south coast of mainland Australia. Gahan, a native of McKinney, Texas, scored 1,357 points for the Cyclones, playing for four NCAA Tournament teams between 1998 and 2002. She was a member of the 1998-99 ISU team that beat Connecticut to advance to the NCAA Elite Eight. Gahan was a three-time academic all-Big 12 honoree. Her brother Jeff was an Iowa State swimmer. Brother Brian was on ISU men's basketball team for one year and spent one season on the Cyclone men's swim team.

1. What town in Tasmania does your team play in? What kind of town is it...is it like Ames?

"I live in Burnie, a small, quiet town in northwest Tasmania, Australia. (For those of you that have heard of Tasmania, but never knew that is was an actual location and not simply an infamous description of a Looney Tunes character, Tasmania is an island off the southern coast of Australia.) Anyway, Burnie is a sea-front town with nearly 20,000 residents. Other than the obvious geographical differences, Burnie is a lot like Ames in that the people are very warm and welcoming and have made me feel at home. Likewise, basketball is very important and we receive a significant amount of support (relatively speaking:) from the locals and surrounding areas."

2. Have you traveled around the island of Tasmania, what is it like? Is it different from the mainland? Do Tasmanians consider themselves different from their fellow Australians?

"Much of Tasmania is uninhabited due to the mountainous terrain and numerous national parks. The northern and southern coast lines are decorated with a number of cities and towns, but much of the eastern and western coasts as well as the interior of Tasmania remains quite desolate. XXXAlthough Australian, Tasmanians are stereotyped by the mainland Aussies and there is a noticeable rivalry between the residents of the two land masses. At one time, Tasmania's population consisted mostly of the supervisors of convicts and the convicts themselves who were deported to this island from the copious British Colonies."

3. Could you give us a chronological list of what you have done since graduation? You graduated when with a degree in what?

"My eligibility at Iowa State expired in the spring of 2002, but I did not actually graduate until the spring of 2003, and at that time, I graduated with a degree in Marketing. Since graduation, I have played two seasons in Athens, Greece; my first season with Peiraikos (2003-04) and my second season with Panathinaikos (2004-05). The following season I played with Mercy Coolock in Dublin, Ireland (2005-06). Now, I am in my fourth season with NW Tasmania Thunder in Australia (Summer '06)."

4. How did you end up going to Tasmania?

"I ended up here by chance; basically, my agent sent me an e-mail back in February as to whether or not I would be interested in this job once my season was finished in Dublin...so, here I am. I have found that the more places I go and the more people I meet, the more I want to continue travelling because these experiences have allowed me to embrace cultures very different from my own; enabling me to consider alternative ideologies, opinions and values."

5. Are there other players in the league who Iowa State fans would recognize?

Kristi Harrower, who played for the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx, is probably the most well-known player in this league. There are a number of players from the Australian and New Zealand National teams, but few of them have played in America for either a university or with the WNBA and therefore, I doubt many names would be recognized."

6. Do many people come to the games?

"Compared to ISU standards, not even close. We probably average a couple hundred fans a game, which is quite good for overseas standards; at least from my experience in Greece, Ireland and now, in Australia. Basketball, especially the women's game, is heavily overshadowed by netball, soccer and rugby."

7. How often does your team practice?

"My team, NW Thunder, only practices once, maybe twice a week. The league we play in, SEABL, consists of only one other team on the island so every other week we are travelling up to Melbourne and it's surrounding areas, where the seven other teams in this league are located. Although considered a `professional' team in a `professional' league, usually only the import players are paid a salary (exceptions are made for Australian Olympians), and therefore, all of the Australian players have a job or are attending a school or university, depending on one's age. In addition, there is a coastal league that is run here in Tasmania that consists of eight teams and each player on my Thunder team plays for one of these local rosters. The Australian players usually play for their hometown team, but the imports are bid on at the beginning of the season and then play for the team which has monetarily acquired them. This league is called the NWBU and I play for the Smithton Saints. League games are double headers, consisting of men's and women's teams from the same clubs, played every Tuesday night. This league would be roughly equivalent to a rec league in the States; the competition level is low, but the rivalries and intense disdain for the opponents is high, making for a great atmosphere. With Smithton, I practice once a week, so in total, I am usually playing basketball at least 5 days a week."

8. How is the playing experience after college different from Iowa State?

"There are so many differences. First, playing in front of thousands of fans in the finest arenas has never happened in my four seasons overseas and never will. The gyms we play in are usually not even as refined as most high school gyms in the States, and getting several hundred fans to the games here is literally a packed house. Second, the gap in age between teammates can be as much as 20 years, unlike the usual 4 to 5 year variation in college teammates. The youngest teammate that I have ever played with has been 14; the oldest was 35. This discrepancy in age really exposes our differences in abilities, interests, and definitely experiences."

9. Are you looking to play in Europe?

"I am definitely looking to play in Europe again."

10. Do you have much personal time to sightsee?

"I would have a lot of free time to sightsee if I actually became motivated enough to do so. Since I have had company in every country that I have lived in, I usually wait for my visitors to arrive before I start exploring because some the experiences mean so much more when you have someone to share them with."

11. Can you make enough to live on?

"Yes. My salary doesn't amount to much, but the reason I am able to make a living is because I don't have to spend a lot. My apartment, including all utilities, as well as my car, is provided by the team. Basically, my only expenses are food, gas and any extracurricular activities I indulge in like going to the movies or out to eat."

12. Looking back, what was the high point of your Iowa State career?

"Definitely winning back to back Big XII tournaments in Kansas City! These two experiences are still some of my most fond memories ever."

13. Do you keep in touch with your teammates?

"Yes, many of my ISU teammates remain my closest friends today. Every summer for the past three years, nine of us have gotten together for an annual `reunion'; unfortunately, I will miss this year's celebration, though. In addition, Lindsey (Wilson) and I were fortunate enough to play in Athens together for two years, so we basically got to share 5 years of our lives together, which I will always be grateful for. I also have stayed in touch with ISU players that I never even stepped onto the court with as well as teammates that I have made overseas. I honestly don't think that I have one friend that has not somehow been brought into my life without the influence of basketball."

14. When the current season ends, what are your career plans?

"The downfall of this `career' is that I never know where I might end up or how long I might actually be there (players are always getting sent home). I usually don't know where I'm headed until a month or so before I actually depart, so, all I know is that I will be in Australia until August, and then I'll have to wait and see what my future holds..."

15. Have your seen a kangaroo, wallaby or Tasmanian devil?

"Yes, I have seen all three. I have even pet a Tasmanian Devil and fed a kangaroo. Obviously, I was at a wildlife park for these encounters, but I have seen these creatures in the early mornings and the late evenings in the wild...unfortunately, I've seen them as road kill the majority of the time."

16. What are your brothers, Jeff and Brian doing now?

"After graduating from Iowa State with a chemical engineering degree, Jeff, my older brother, worked in Washington, DC doing cancer research at Bethesda Naval Medical Center. His work there, in combination with his prior volunteer work in a medical clinic in Austin, TX and his volunteer work involving cancer research in Des Moines and Stockholm, Sweden, led him to pursue a medical degree. Jeff will be entering his fourth year at Baylor Medical School in Waco this August. At this time, Jeff is leaning toward specializing in urology or possibly some kind of surgery. As some of you may remember, Brian left ISU pre-maturely to head to Texas A&M to be closer to his high school sweetheart who he did eventually marry a year and a half ago. So, I guess I'll have to forgive him one of these days for ditching the Cyclones...after all, he's the one who will forever have to live with being an `Aggie'. While attending Texas A&M, he was recruited as a walk on by the Men's basketball team. He thoroughly enjoyed his time on the court, but after having a stint with both the ISU men's swimming and basketball teams, also as a walk on, his eligibility with A&M expired after only one short season. Anyway, he graduated from A&M with a degree in Chemical Engineering and now works for Raytheon. He and his wife, Amanda, live in Addison, Texas, about 40 minutes from our hometown of McKinney."

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Q&A with Former Cyclone Women's Basketball Standout Tracy Gahan

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