Garkeiva Council, sociology freshman, is an attentive person, which is a skill that helps on the basketball court and in the classroom.

Council, point guard/shoot-in-guard, hails from Houston with an extensive on-court resume.  She has been playing basketball since she was about 10, but started getting serious about the sport when she entered high school.  She also played volleyball and ran track, but basketball is Council’s passion. Council has been influenced by athletes such as Diana Taurasi and Kevin Garnett. She said she is a perfectionist, something she believes has contributed to her success on the court throughout the years.  In a game against Belhaven Jan. 24, Council added 11 points and seven assists to the 72-59 win.

A scholarship triggered her arrival at Loyola and she has been working very hard to maintain her 3.8 GPA from last semester.  Council knows how to have a good time as well, and when she is not on the court or in the classroom, she is enjoying New Orleans’ delicacies and the freedom of being a college student. Council spends a lot of time with her team traveling and going on taking retreats.

With her mother as her support system, Council is working hard in hopes of being Rookie of the Year for 2009 in the Gulf Coastal Athletic Conference.  She also hopes to be part of the team that is the first to defeat Xavier University on their court Jan. 29.

Council is aware of the necessary qualities to be a good basketball player. “You must be well rounded — this involves leadership by example, skill level, and good work ethic,” she said. 

Council works hard to play hard, and her favorite thing about basketball is the game itself. “The atmosphere, the lights, and the fans just make you do better as an athlete than you do in practice,” she said.  

Bridget McGiff in can be reached at [email protected].