Feb. 14, 2007
Columbia, S.C. – They’re both Columbia natives. They both stayed home to attend South Carolina. They both wear the number 32. They’ve both suffered serious knee injuries. The similarities don’t end there for Brionna Dickerson and Shaunzinski Gortman. They’re also cousins. Just don’t ask them to explain the relationship because it’s too complicated (it starts with their fathers). But Dickerson remembers making the connection nearly ten years ago.
“When I found out that she was my cousin, that was the point that I really latched on to USC,” said the sophomore guard. “I went to camps and specifically found stuff that had 32 on it because I wanted to be just like her and wanted to be as good as she was.”
Dickerson was playing on an AAU team at the time coached by Gortman’s mother (whom she affectionately called “Miss Betty”). Meanwhile, Shaun was always hanging around the gym practicing, sometimes with Brionna’s father Jerome, also a veteran coach. That left ample opportunity for the girls to work out together.
“We would shoot and play some one-on-one,” said Gortman, then a freshman at USC. “I’d give her some pointers, show her what she needed to do.”
Gortman admits that she has never been very outspoken, but her game has certainly done plenty of talking. She started all but five contests during her Carolina career and finished with 1,367 points, 14th on the Gamecocks’ all-time list. She was a senior leader on the 2001-02 squad that advanced to the first Elite Eight in school history.
“We were a possession or two away from the Final Four with Shaun Gortman on the floor for us,” recalled Head Coach Susan Walvius. “She was the defensive stop. She can guard anybody.”
The Charlotte Sting made Gortman the 9th overall pick in the 2002 WNBA draft, before shipping her to the Minnesota Lynx as part of a draft-day trade. She spent two years with Minnesota and a partial season with Washington before settling in Seattle. But her 2006 campaign was cut short by a torn ACL in her right knee. She suffered the same injury to her left knee during her sophomore year at USC.
“The physical part of rehab is easy,” Gortman explained. “It’s the mental part that’s the most difficult. You can come back from the injury and never move, or you can come back and be better than before you were hurt.”
Gortman’s approach to rehab rubbed off on Dickerson, who was forced to miss her entire senior year at Heathwood Hall because of that dreaded ACL tear. She started her Carolina career wearing a brace for most of last season.
“There was always that flashback in my mind when I got hurt, that realization that my career might be over,” revealed Dickerson. “I was kind of afraid to get back on it. But seeing other people like Shaun come back definitely helped me a lot.”
The injury is now an afterthought for Dickerson, who’s enjoying a breakout sophomore campaign. She has scored in double figures eight times already, scoring a career-high 16 points against Winthrop. She contributed 11 in Sunday’s loss at Georgia.
“We want Brie to shoot it,” said Walvius. “I’m confident that she can put the ball in the hole for us. She has had some great practices. I’m expecting her to finish the year strong.”
Dickerson is experiencing her success in front of family and friends, one benefit of playing in her hometown. She also has one extra fan in the stands these days – her cousin Shaun, while she rehabs that knee.
“It’s good and bad that Shaun got hurt,” admitted Dickerson. “It’s bad because obviously she can’t play, but it’s good because now she is back here. I still have her as a resource again. She is the closest thing I have to the next level.”
Gortman will dish out some advice when necessary, although she feels more comfortable just cheering on Dickerson and the Gamecocks.
“I enjoy watching her play and seeing her develop,” said Gortman. “She works hard. She can be a great player.”
As for Gortman’s progress, she currently can handle all individual drills. Doctors will let her know this month when she can step up the intensity of those workouts. She is on schedule to report to the Seattle Storm for training camp at the end of April. Until then, she occasionally drops by to see Walvius and the Gamecocks during practice, and even plans on training with Dickerson after the season.
“I’m glad to have them here because they’re good kids and good students,” Walvius said. “They’re great ambassadors for the university and the community. I’m just privileged to coach them.”
The similarities for these two cousins really do seem endless.
Fast Break Points
Milestone Marker: Senior Iva Sliskovic continues the march towards 1,000 career points, needing just 50 more.
Fancy Travels: The team bus to Athens, Ga., last weekend not only included leather reclining seats and satellite TV, but a refrigerator and a microwave as well. Too bad nobody remembered to bring popcorn.
Speaking of Travel: The team hotel in Fayetteville, Ark., was ironically called the Cosmopolitan. However, our stay did not come with complimentary copies of the magazine.
