Love & Basketball

Whitney Bibbins '10 fought through adversity and never gave up on herself and her dreams.

written by Ava Perego

Whitney Bibbins first picked up a basketball when she was just six-years-old in BREC and YMCA leagues in Baton Rouge. “I’ve been playing basketball for what feels like a lifetime,” Bibbins said. Her interest in the sport was sparked by the movie Love and Basketball. After falling in love with the storyline of the main character, Bibbins decided she did not want that story to end, so she brought it to life in her own way. She played on the varsity basketball team at Bethany Christian School when she was in only 5th grade. She transferred to University Laboratory School in 7th grade and immediately played under Coach Bonita Johnson on the varsity team as the small forward or shooting guard. “CJ [Coach Johnson] is the best. She pushed me to perform my absolute best. She always had my back and the entire team’s back. She is the dream high school coach,” Bibbins said. Throughout her time playing for ULS, Bibbins fought through many trials. When she was in 8th grade, she tore her ACL; when she was a sophomore she tore the other one. Both of these accidents left her out of play for six months each – a year without playing in total. Most high school student athletes in this position would give up on their dreams, but Bibbins was determined. “I knew that I wasn’t going to allow that to hold me back. It was a challenge, but I am always up for a challenge. I was ready to push forward and get through it,” Bibbins said. “I worked out hard and went to rehab consistently. I knew my overall mission and goal was to knock out the six months and come back stronger than I was before. For me it was like, ‘now I have a brand new fresh knee.’ To me, it gave me an advantage.” Coach Johnson urged Bibbins to excel despite her setbacks. Though they did not always see eye-to-eye

BASKETBALL on the court, Bibbins appreciated the support from her coach. During her senior year, Bibbins fought bronchitis while playing in the state championship game. Though the team fell short of the win, Bibbins said it was an experience she will never forget. When it came time for Bibbins to take the next step into her basketball career, Tulane University caught her eye immediately. “The entire ambiance of Tulane attracted me,” Bibbins said. “The coaches, the players, the character and the way they all carried themselves was the way I had always aspired to carry myself.” She played on scholarship for Tulane her first three years of college but was medically disqualified her senior year due to ongoing issues associated with three concussions she suffered during her freshman, sophomore and junior seasons. After the first concussion, she endured, determined to keep her basketball dreams alive. “I had already overcome other injuries, so I thought I could bounce back. I went on to play sophomore year, and then I got another concussion. I had to miss my second semester of sophomore year and totally pull out of school,” Bibbins explained. When she returned to the court junior year, Bibbins had to wear a soft helmet to play in order to protect herself, but unfortunately, she was injured again. It was then that Bibbins realized her time playing basketball competitively was over. “I think the hardest part was separating from something you’ve done your entire life. You have dreams. You have avenues you see your life falling into, and once that is shattered, it is like, ‘what do you do from here?’” Bibbins said. Though she could not compete, she continued to support her team, traveling with them and cheering for them. Her goal was to be an encouraging force that drove them to play well. “I found my fulfillment and peace in knowing that I did all that I could. Sometimes the cards may not fall the way you anticipate them falling, but at the end of the day, everything works out the way it’s supposed to,” Bibbins said. After graduating from Tulane in 2014, Bibbins followed in her family’s footsteps and was hired by Pacific Union Railroad. She is based in New Orleans and works as an operations manager in the New Orleans terminal. Bibbins grew up around the railroad. Her dad and her uncles worked on the train side of the business. She is the first person in her family to be on the operations side, and she says it has been an eye-opening experience. “I always wondered about the overall impact the railroad had on the social, economic and political world as a whole,” Bibbins said. “It has been rewarding to have a backstage pass to the overall operations and connect all the dots.” Her journey from a six-year-old girl, wide-eyed watching Love and Basketball, to an adult, working for the railroad has been nothing short of unique. Bibbins discovered passions in new places, fought through adversity and never gave up on herself and her dreams.