Tala Hadavi keeps the high-end clothing stores in Friendship Heights and Pentagon City in business...and much to her chagrin.
Ever since she's arrived on campus almost three years ago, injury and NCAA regulations have forced her to spend more time in skirts and high heels on the bench than she has doing what she does best: draining threes and spearheading the Eagles' attack.
The women's basketball star transferred from Virginia Commonwealth after her 2002-2003 season in Richmond and was forced to sit out the following season per NCAA rules. She began the 2004-2005 campaign on a tear, averaging nine points and four assists, while shooting nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc. But eight games into her AU career, she landed awkwardly in practice, tearing her anterior cruciate ligament.
The initials "ACL" are the three most dreaded in athletics. In one afternoon, the Eagles' season - which had Patriot League championship possibilities - came crashing down.
"It was absolutely devastating to get injured when I did," Hadavi said. "I was really looking forward to playing with the six seniors and the team we had last year."
But the injury didn't stop Hadavi, who promised head coach Melissa McFerrin that she would be ready to open this season. She began rehab almost immediately after surgery.
"Coming back as a senior, I put a lot of pressure on myself to be one of the leaders on this team and to make sure we do well," Hadavi said.
With two freshmen in the starting lineup (two others in the regular rotation) and fellow transfer Abby Lipskis manning the middle, the Eagles will be young, but talented.
"We're going to be young, and at first we might have some growing pains, but I really think we're going to surprise a lot of people," Hadavi said. "By the time league play begins, we're going to have it together."
This year, McFerrin has taken some of the pressure off Hadavi, moving her to the off-guard position, and allowing a pair of freshmen, Pam Stanfield and Nicole Ryan, to handle the point. While Hadavi will still see time at the point in crunch time, she will more often be roaming around the 3-point line or cutting to the hoop for an easy lay-up.
"It's been great to play [off the ball]. It gives me a little break and gets the young girls involved," Hadavi said. "I don't care where I am. I'll play the five if that's where they want me."
While she won't soon be playing center, Hadavi will be counted on to hit key outside shots and provide leadership for the youthful team. She admits at times she needs to be more vocal and become the emotional leader as well as physical leader.
Her complement might be Tara Williams, the defensive stud who sharpened her offensive game this offseason. Hadavi and Williams combined to lead the Eagles with 34 points in their exhibition game against M.I. Express Sunday.
Along with Stanfield and Ryan, freshmen Tish Curry (12 points in the exhibition game) and Sahar Nusseibeh (11 rebounds) will see significant playing time right from the start.
"Coach really recruited players who not only are athletic, but who know that game," Hadavi said of the fundamentally sound freshmen.
This year's team will be the first featuring some of McFerrin's players, who took over for the departed Shann Hart before last season.
Hadavi, the player who McFerrin once described as her "extension on the court," will now be charged with the responsibility of developing this talent into victories.
Coming back from such a serious injury may be precarious to some, but Hadavi sees it as a challenge, and expects to be back at full strength from the opening tip. Her personal goals include making first team All-PL and being one of the league's most dominant players.
It's safe to say at this point, she's the best PL player never to play in a PL game.
The Eagles hope that will soon change, as they lace up their Nike's this Friday night in the season opener at Bender Arena against Towson. They will spend the next few months tuning up for league play, which doesn't being until January.
Looking down the roster, a spectator may see only two seniors and think the Eagles have no chance to compete for a league crown. But, so far, Hadavi is under the league's radar. She's certainly the hungriest, having played only eight games in her two years at AU.
When asked if the Eagles have a realistic chance to win the PL, Hadavi replied, "No doubt." The league is wide open, she added.
"We can definitely win," Hadavi said. There's no one team that has an edge coming in."
If the Eagles are to win, they'll need Hadavi all season long ...in gym shorts and a jersey..
