Iciss Tillis Age: 26
Professional basketball player
TILLIS CURRENTLY plays for the team
GEAS Basket in Milan, Italy. She graduated
from Cascia Hall Preparatory School in 2000
and went on to play for Duke University.
She has played in the WNBA with the
Detroit Shock, New York Liberty and Los
Angeles Sparks, appearing in 66 games.
LIST YOUR ATHLETIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
Three-time high school All-American; high
school Gatorade Player of the Year; Oklahoma
Female Player of the Year; three-time ACC
first team at Duke University; two-time ACC
Tournament MVP; Kodak All-American; 11th
overall draft pick in the 2004 WNBA draft;
2008 European All-Star.
WHAT IS YOUR TRAINING ROUTINE?
My typical training routine is stretching, lifting
(not on game days), light warm-up and then
practice or a game.
FAVORITE SPORT? Definitely basketball.
WHAT IS YOUR DIET? It consists of a variety
of foods. I try to stick with organic foods and
shy away from fast foods. However, I love
homemade fried chicken and my grandmother’s
desserts! I also drink lots of water and I try to
stay away from soda and sugary drinks.
WHAT IS YOUR MOTIVATION? Success. I
have always wanted to be the best, not just in
basketball but in everything I do.
PRE-GAME RITUALS? I always eat a huge
lunch, shower, nap for about two hours, wake
up and listen to Christian music so I can get
focused to kick some butt on the court.
POST-GAME RITUALS? After a game, I get
treatment if I need it, go home, have a good
meal, relax and get lots of rest.
HOW DID YOU BECOME INVOLVED IN
BASKETBALL? I actually became involved in
basketball when I was 6 years old. My parents
bought a house that had a basketball goal in the
front yard and I would go shoot when no one
was watching.
THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE
HOW YOU FEEL WHEN COMPETING?
“Geeked,” focused, relentless.
THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE
HOW YOU FEEL AFTER A GAME? Drained,
stress-free, reflective.
TOUGHEST GAME? The loss against
Tennessee to go to the championship game
when I was in college. That really hurt.
FAVORITE GAME? Our win at UCONN (the
University of Connecticut) at the buzzer. We
were down by almost 30 points at halftime.
WHAT IS THE HARDEST PART OF
PLAYING OVERSEAS? Being away from my
family for such a long period of time.
SELF-TAUGHT OR COACHED? I am a little of
both. I taught myself how to play street ball, but
my AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) coach, Roy
Gage, taught me the fundamentals of the game.
ROLE MODEL? Lisa Leslie was definitely my
role model growing up.
FAVORITE QUOTE? “He who began a good
work in you will see it through until the end.” —
Philippians 1: 6
FAVORITE MOMENT IN YOUR ATHLETIC
CAREER? When I played in my first WNBA
game. That was when I knew I had made it. And
my second-favorite moment was being selected
to the 2008 European All-Star team.
BIGGEST OBSTACLE? Constantly showing
people that a finesse game is just as powerful
as a power game. I am 6’ 5” and I only weigh 165
pounds!
GUILTY INDULGENCES? Ice cream is my
weakness!
WHAT IS THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE
YOU WOULD GIVE OTHER PLAYERS?
Outwork your opponent, be coachable, stay
focused and never let anyone tell you what you
cannot do.
BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU HAVE BEEN
GIVEN? My grandmother has said this to me
since I was a child, “Yes, you can.” ■
GOING GREEN
Wash Me Green
You washed your car at home to
save money. That’s a good thing,
right? Good for you, maybe, but
bad for the environment. Little did
you know that all those soapy, oily
suds ran into storm drains, harming rivers, lakes and streams.
According to the Oklahoma
Department of Environmental
Quality, this is one of the reasons
why the state’s rivers and lakes are
not as healthy as they should be.
Additionally, washing a car at
home typically uses between 80
and 140 gallons of water, while
a commercial car wash averages less than 45 gallons per car,
according to a report released
by the International Car Wash
Association, an industry group
representing commercial car wash
companies.
One Tulsa business, Clear Water
Car Wash, has developed a new
environmental program called
“Wash Me Green!” The program
was created in support of Mayor
Kathy Taylor’s BeGreen Tulsa initiative and aims to help educate
the community.
“Most people don’t understand
water drainage in our metro area
and are not aware that water
from driveways and yards runs
into the storm drains and eventually into our rivers,” Taylor says.
“Working in tandem with our own
Storm Water Education program,
operated through our Department
of Public Works, Environmental
Operations Division, (Wash Me
Green) will
help get the
word out to
Tulsans about
this issue.”
For more information about how you can participate in the
Wash Me Green program and for Clear
Water Car Wash locations, visit www.
clearwatertulsa.com.
For more information about the mayor’s
BeGreen Tulsa program, visit
www.begreentulsa.com.
