One thing is for certain: life as a Division One athlete is never easy. From finding success in the classroom, practicing daily, traveling frequently across the country and representing your school on the court.
Despite immense pressure to do everything right, Sierra Chambers continues to find the positives in life and friendship to keep her centered on what she does best: having fun and competing at a high level.
Where it all began
Growing up in Danville, California, it wasn’t always basketball. In elementary school, Chambers played various sports, including soccer, but when it was time for high school, Chambers chose basketball.
“A lot of my friends played basketball and San Ramon Valley High School is very competitive for women’s basketball,” said Chambers. “I really liked the coach and the girls on the team.”
Not only did her friends and coaches play a significant impact on her decision to stick with basketball, but her trainer Stevie Johnson also helped push her every day to be better. Chambers started training with Johnson in sixth grade nearly every single day.
Even with training every day and countless hours of dedication on and off the court, there are still struggles that come with being an athlete. At San Ramon Valley, Chambers’ team dominated the regular season. The Wolves went 93-10 in four seasons at San Ramon.
Despite the success, San Ramon Valley struggled when competing in the season-ending tournaments.
“My sophomore, junior and senior year, we lost in our section championship,” stated Chambers.
This never stopped Chambers from focusing on the positives and moving on. Chambers was named East Bay Athletic League First-Team averaging 12 points and 8.3 assists per game her junior year. Chambers’ play would draw attention from more than just her family and friends.
Finding a home in Cedar City
Looking to continue her basketball career, Chambers participated in the Amateur Athletic Union between her sophomore and junior season in high school. AAU is a way for high school athletes to compete at a high level.
Given the opportunity to play in different AAU games, Chambers thrived at the opportunity to present herself to different coaches and schools. This led to a connection between Chambers’ coach Kelly Sopak and current Southern Utah University women’s basketball head coach Tracy Mason.
“Sopak told me that he knew coach Mason and that it would be a good fit for me,” said Chambers.
Chambers decided to give it a chance and check out Southern Utah on an unofficial first visit. After taking in just one visit, Chambers committed to SUU. Later on, Chambers would go on to make an official visit to SUU and confirm her decision to play for the Thunderbirds.
“The environment of the coaches and the teammates I really liked,” said Chambers. “They made me feel welcomed on my visit.”
Not only did Chambers like what she saw in Southern Utah and the basketball team here, but SUU had their eyes on her.
“Sierra had been on our radar for a very long time. She’s a tremendous shooter, can handle the ball and loves to play uptempo,” said coach Mason. “Sierra is an amazing teammate as well.”
This seemed like a match made in heaven for both sides, and Chambers quickly found herself making an immediate impact for Southern Utah.
In less than one year after graduating high school, Chambers found herself playing in her first collegiate game against one of the top schools in the University of Utah.
“I was really nervous going into that game. I had never played in an arena that big with that many fans in attendance,” Chambers noted. “Once I started playing, I was able to relax.”
Chambers led SUU with 15 points on 4/8 shooting from the field in just 22 minutes. Even though Southern Utah lost the game, they knew they had a talented, bright piece in Chambers.
Adjusting to being a D1 athlete
It’s not always easy being a student-athlete. Between going to classes, studying, making time for practice, and continuing to represent your school in a good manner. It can be a lot to balance as a student playing division one sports.
“It definitely has been busy. Trying to manage school, basketball, and social life,” said Chambers. “In high school, I already had a good balance, but now I am trying to find that balance here at SUU.”
“I have never really had to travel this much consistently. I didn’t know it would be like this,” said Chambers when asked about having to travel on a consistent basis. “Talking and working with my professors as well to ensure I don’t miss anything when I miss time.”
Because Southern Utah competes in the Western Athletic Conference, SUU’s travel plans include consistent appearances in Texas, California, Seattle, and Arizona. This amount of traveling is much more than any Chambers faced in high school. Most games would require an hour to two hours of travel time.
“At this point of the season, I feel like basketball is my entire life,” Chambers jokes.“I have never had to experience this amount of traveling on a consistent basis before. It is something that is new for me that I have really had to adjust to.”
Battling adversity
To add to the pressure of doing well in school, there is an immense amount of pressure to perform at a high level for your school. Chambers is always looking to improve and get better each and every day.
“During the season struggles, I have definitely come to rely on some of the upperclassmen and other freshmen,” stated Chambers. “Their leadership skills have helped me so much and I consider them some of my best friends.”
As Chambers searched for ways to get better and help Southern Utah, one of her biggest supporters didn’t come from the sideline but from back home. Chambers’ trainer, Johnson, has continued to help keep her head up and not dwell on the failures of a season.
“Johnson has told me to keep working hard and realize I can only control my attitude and how hard I work,” said Chambers. “At the end of the day, I just try to give it 100% and help my teammates and coaches in any way.”
Hard work pays off
Even though it isn’t the type of season Chambers or anyone else in Southern Utah has envisioned, the success of late has given the girls hope heading into the WAC Tournament.
“Things definitely started to change once we started to win more,” stated Chambers. “We all felt like we could actually do this. If we go out there and play a good game, we can actually beat really good teams.”
Chambers’ hard work, persistent effort, and support from teammates and coaches paid off. On Feb. 27, aiming to knock off in-state rival Utah Tech University, Chambers caught fire in the second quarter.
The freshman guard knocked down four-straight threes in route to a career-high 16 points on 5/6 shooting from three. Even though this was a big moment in her young collegiate career, Chambers has her focus on getting better each and every game.
“I am just trying to keep it up for the WAC Tournament,” noted Chambers. I can’t just play good for one game and call it good.
With the recent success of Southern Utah, the Thunderbirds will look to make a run in the WAC Tournament starting on Wednesday, Mar. 12.
“I feel like we are playing some of our best basketball as of late,” said coach Mason. “We are all motivated to finish the season strong.”