The Pro-File – Miranda Ayim, Above Ground

We return with another edition of The Pro-File and we head back to France to check in with Miranda Ayim who talks about a tough stretch last month right here …

London, ON native Miranda Ayim has been travelling with the basketball for the better part of the last decade. After graduating from Saunders Secondary she took her game to Pepperdine University in California where she became one of the best players in school history.  When she graduated in 2010 she was a three-time All West Coast Conference First Team selection as well as three-time academic all conference.  She averaged 11.6 points and 6.2 rebounds in her 119 games played (100 starts) and is currently among the school’s best in scoring (8th with 1377), rebounding (8th with 735) and blocks (1st with 182).  She would then go on to begin her pro career in Europe playing three years in Turkey for Alayna Belediye, Instanbul Universitesi andOrduspor (where she averaged 18.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.6 blocks in 30.3 minutes) including a stop with the Tulsa Shock of the WNBA.  Oh yeah, she’s also been a long-time member of the National Team Program including a member of the 2012 Olympic team that represented Canada in London.  She has been a star everywhere she’s played and now she took her game to Toulouse, France in one of the top women’s leagues in the the world where she averaged 14.5 points, 7 rebounds 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks in 31.3 minutes last season.  Playing in Toulouse again, Ayim is currently averaging 13.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1 block in 31.6 minutes over seventeen games. Follow her on her professional journey right here … 

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Hey All,

I’m the type of person who doesn’t particularly enjoy talking about my problems. I find that focusing on the negative tends to feed energy into that situation. Instead, I try to focus on the “bigger picture” and what I’m working toward, as well as – somewhat contrarily – focusing on each step, one thing at a time. That being said, this month of January following Christmas break has been a bit rough for our team.

We started the second half of season with a massive loss to a top ranked team in the league, followed by a close loss to a team we should have beaten. We then gained a road win against a lower ranked team, which allowed us to exhale for a moment, and followed that up with a solid home win against a similarly ranked team.

Most recently, we lost a tough game versus fellow Canadian teammate Lizanne Murphy’s team, Union Feminine Angers Basket 49 (UFAB49), effectively disqualifying us from the rest of the French Cup (essentially a playoff within the season that qualifies the winners for a Euro Cup seat). It’s been a rollercoaster. But, as most overseas players will tell you, the entire season is a roller coaster. Yes, that includes even the first place team that suffers few, if any, losses. Their lows may not be in the form of losses, but instead they may appear in the form of management problems, team conflict or injuries.

During times like these, I find it helps to be secure in who you are as person and a player. There will always be people ready to doubt you and your team or offer unwanted/uninformed advice.

Confidence and self-awareness has been, and will continue to be, my go-to answer for people’s common question of “What does it take to be a professional player/reach a high level of sport?” Without this, you are subject to the ebb and flow of the season, fan support, coaches’ approval and individual game results.

Undoubtedly, this perspective can easily be applied to whatever profession you’re in. There’s an ebb and flow to life that should be embraced and dealt with with understanding instead of panic. Life happens and doesn’t always happen in the way we “expect” it to. That doesn’t make the circumstances bad, it just makes them varied from our expectations.

Take it for what it’s worth.

These are just the thoughts of a basketball player turned philosopher, haha. I hope this gives you another glimpse into overseas life, as well as inspiration to stay strong and true, regardless of what “low” you’re going through.

Much love.

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A big thank you to pro baller Miranda Ayim for taking the time to share her experiences with us.  Check in with her at  website www.MirandaAyim.com and of course her daily happenings on Twitter @AyimWhoAyim and Instagram @mjayim.  You can also check back here with us so see what she’s up to.