Feb. 6, 2001

By Andy Heck
Athletic Media Relations Student Assistant

This year sophomore point guard Christa Millham has not only returned to the basketball floor, but she has returned home to Missouri in order to be closer to her number one priority, her family.

"When you graduate high school you always say, 'Oh, I am getting out of this house and I have got to get away.' But I got homesick," says Millham.

In an attempt to get out on her own, Millham traveled across the country to begin her college basketball career at New Mexico State where she started 26 games as a freshman. Despite all of her early success on the court, Millham missed a crucial element to her high school achievements: the presence and support of her family on game day.

"I just wanted to be closer to home," Millham says. "I have three sisters that I never got to see and my parents have come to almost every home game so far. It was hard not to be able to see them and not to have them watch me play," she adds.

Despite having to sit out a year due to the NCAA Division I transfer rule, Millham made her way to Missouri where she gladly rode the bench for a season.

"Last year I had to work just to get better and to make the team better, but I could not contribute in games. Practice is a lot more fun this year. I can actually get something out of it in the immediate instead of the long run," she says.

Millham's transfer brought her back to her home state, but it also threw her into the whirlwind intensity of playing in the Big 12 Conference. Taking a transfer year to prep in Head Coach Cindy Stein's program has helped Millham make the transition however, she has seen action this season playing behind Natalie Bright and starting guard Kerensa Barr.

"This is a totally different level than the Big West and New Mexico State. I love being around this type of atmosphere," she says. "I am obviously playing behind two people that have already played, but I just need to keep practicing and I think it will come."

On the court Millham enjoys the wide-open attack and pressing defenses of the Stein system. "I think it is a lot more fun to watch for the fans. We really haven't gotten to what Coach Stein really wants her style to be, but if you look up the road and as we get better, I think that we will be able to go 40 minutes of pressing and I like that," Millham predicts.

Adding to the rigors of Big 12 Conference competition and the enthusiasm for Missouri's exciting playing style, Millham has found another plus about her time with the Tiger program in her teammates. In her two years at Mizzou, Millham has found the family aspect she had been missing at New Mexico State. She says that she was welcomed with open arms and that everybody got along right away. And despite their sister-like-arguments, whether it is practicing together, watching "Titans" and "The Real World," or going to see Charlie's Angels, Millham and her teammates do it as a family.

"A lot of people join sororities, but I already have 14 best friends that I trust. I think all of them feel the same way. We hang out all the time," she says.

The competitive aspect on the court and sister-like relationship she has with roommate Barr has also transferred to her private life.

"Everything we do is a competition at home," Millham says. "You can't just sit around and play cards or do anything with out seeing whose cheating or who is not playing by the rules. Sports are a great way to bring that out."

Whether on the court or dishing with her teammates, despite the rigorous competition, Millham claims to abstain from trash talking and would rather let her actions speak for her success. Millham does not like to discuss her own strengths to her game and would rather let her playing speak for her.

"I think men have more of an attitude and that is why (trash-talking) is a big deal in their sport. Women just get it done," she asserts.

When trying to get it done, Millham believes that the most important goal to set for an individual is simply to work hard and be a good teammate. "I don't think that you can set goals statistically speaking, because I think there are a lot more ways that you can contribute to a team besides stats."

Millham's serves as a quiet role model. Adding to her position on the Tiger women's basketball team, she also gets the job done is in the classroom. She is working toward a career where she can continue to contribute after graduation, she is majoring in elementary and middle school education. Millham is primarily interested in working with young children.

"I think that they (younger kids) are still at the age where they look up at you and still respect you. Then when they get older, it is a different type of relationship that you have with your students," Millham says.

For the junior, relationships are where it counts. Luckily for Mizzou, Millham has found a community. Her decision to return to Missouri as a member of the Tiger women's basketball program may be an isolated case where homesickness has benefited for the best. Between her family, her fellow athletes and her career goals, Millham has carved a niche here in Columbia, and she's staying.