It’s Go Hard or Go Home. That’s the type of mindset that Tear’a Laudermill, who goes by Tee, presents every day both on and off the court. She’s no stranger to the game as she grew up playing ball and first got the feel of what it means to play against the competition. Her first time playing competitively started back in 2006 when she found her talent at a church league. “I had raw talent!,” Laurdermill states. “I didn’t know what I doing; but, my pastor loved watching me play. It was entertaining.” By the time elementary school came, Laudermill found herself in love with the sport. She credits her parents for being her role model in sports and life. “They never miss a game when I play and are so committed to watching me do what I love. Whether it’s coming to my games that I play or showing up to my games that I coach at since I also coach.”

Laudermill is no stranger to winning as she played for the University of Nebraska from 2011-2015. As a student-athlete for the Cornhuskers, she helped lead the women’s team into four straight NCAA tournament berths as well as winning the Big Ten Conference Tournament in 2014. She is ranked 20^th in Nebraska history in career points with 1,133 and 6^th in career 3 FGM (Field Goals Made) with 157. During her time in Nebraska, she studied and majored in criminal justice. Tear’a details that being a student-athlete was definitely not the easiest thing. Yet, she explains that taking advantage of all the resources and the help that was presented made it so much easier to take the load off and help balance both academics and the sport. While she wasn’t applying criminal justice major to the sport, Laudermill saw the positive aspect of knowing what she wanted to do after basketball.

After college, Tear’a continued her basketball career as she was able to play professionally in three different countries. She soon came back home to the states to play in the Women’s Drew League and the Basketball Beauties League. She found passion in staying home in the states and playing ball in pro-am leagues. Currently, she is playing in the Basketball Beauties League in her fourth season in the league.

When asked what advice she would give to anyone that wanted to follow in her footsteps, Tear’a simply answers: “Be all in! Meaning being committed to your commitment. When it gets tough, don’t quit or back down. Find a way to figure it out and get better!” She sees women’s basketball increase in the future and believes different legends and players have paved the way the game has evolved. “You can see the different styles of play over the years with basketball so yes I definitely see the sport increasing in the future,” Laudermill states.

Laudermill’s entire journey and energy make her story stand out. “My story is a journey with major hurdles,” she explains; “but, I overcame it with my positive drive and energy.” To learn more about Tear’a, follow her on Instagram: noxcusejustproduce