I first met Nicole Louden in 1997 when she was a freshman at Kennedy High School in Paterson, NJ. She went on to become the all-time leading scorer — boys or girls — in Passaic County before earning a full scholarship to Auburn University. I wrote my first book, “She’s Got Handle,” thanks to the cooperation of Nicole and her family. Now she’s playing professionally for Valosun Brno in the Czech Republic. Here’s a guest blog from Nicole, who’s back in Paterson for the holidays:

Hey! It feels great to get a mental and physical break from practices twice a day, games twice a week, and my home away from home (THE GYM:). I am playing in the Czech Republic, central Europe, and the season has been amazing thus far. We currently sit at third place, behind Lindsay Whalen’s (USK Praha) and Tamika Whitmore’s (Gambrinus), respectively. Being able to compete against the likes of Linday Whalen, Swin Cash, Tamika Whitmore, and many other high caliber players makes me realize how blessed I am to have the greatest profession in the world:) I had the opportunity to watch my once cross town high school rival, Essence Carson, compete against Tamika Whitmore’s team. Although Essence’s team lost, she played very well. Then I realized how mind boggling it is to have watched her play so many miles away from the US, and I never see her in our hometown. (more…)