RRC Scholar Athlete: Minta Spears
December 04, 2014 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 4, 2014
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By Travis Cram / Athletics Communications
It's three hours before tipoff and Minta Spears is nowhere to be found.
She's not sitting in the locker room with some other teammates, relaxing and listening to music, or taking a nap to rest a little more before her game.
Instead, she's in the back practice gym. Taking one more free throw, one more jump shot, one more 3-pointer to make sure she has everything in tune before the Lady Raiders hit the floor in a few hours.
It's that same tenacity and persistence that's driven Spears to become a leader not just on the court, but in the classroom and community, as well.
"I think that's one thing I've always known about myself is that I want to always do the best I can in everything," she said. "So if it's practicing more, studying more, working out more - whatever. I always want to try to make every effort I can to ensure that."
Tech's starting point guard for the last two seasons has turned numerous heads with her play, her unique shot and love for the game and people. It's one reason she was selected on Wednesday as a nominee for the WBCA Allstate Good Works Team.
But it's nothing unexpected for most people around her.
Spears has been drawing attention in the Lady Raider basketball program since before the first day she showed up for freshman camp.
She was a standout student and athlete in high school at Bullard, where she was a three-time All-State Selection and four-time District MVP. She set the school record for points scored (2,879), 3-pointers (375), assists (776) and rebounds (475) which helped earn her a spot on the state UIL Academic Team and PARADE All-America Team.
She immediately felt a connection with the Texas Tech program when she arrived in Lubbock. "Once I stepped foot on the Tech campus and in Lubbock I immediately fell in love with it and knew this was the place I wanted to be." she said. "So when I got offered, I committed immediately. The people of Lubbock are so supportive of their athletic programs so I felt right at home."
Spears used the same tenacity that drives her on game days to battle back from a torn ACL that ended her freshman season during her opening game. She's now the only player to have started the last 37 games and is averaging 9.1 points per game in that span. Spears is also the Big 12 Conference leader in 3-pointers this season, hitting 18 of 29 -- 62.1 percent. She also earned a spot on the All-Big 12 Academic First Team last season.
But neither her play nor team recognition are even close to being her most impressive feat.
Spears has maintained a near-perfect 3.88 GPA and will graduate this month with a Bachelor of Arts in Media Strategies from the College of Media and Communication after only five full semesters at Tech and being a regular full-time starter. She will begin work on her masters degree in the spring with two full years of eligibility still remaining.
Spears credits her coaches, teachers, time management and the resources available to student-athletes at Tech as a big reason for her success in each area.
"Our student athlete academic center, The Marsha Sharp, has helped me tremendously with tutors, study hall and different things like that, so I try to take full advantage of that," she said. "But also our professors, especially in The College of Media & Communication, they talk with you and are there for you. It's a really nice resource to have professors like that."
She now is taking advantage of ways to share her love of the game and passion in multiple ways. Spears has been a leader with the Red Raider Outreach mission trips the last two summers to Uganda to help teach and spend time with younger kids in Africa. She also takes time to teach younger kids at the Lady Raider Basketball Camps ways to improve their shooting, dribbling and attitude on the court. All of it points to why she would like to pursue a career in coaching once her playing days are over. She says she is willing to put in the hard work to get a college coaching job one day. Even if it means taking one more shot, one more hour in the film room, one more of anything to get there.
"I love the game of basketball and I love to see people get better at it," she said. "I think that through basketball you learn so much about yourself as a person and a basketball player, so I just want to help people learn about themselves and grow as basketball players.
"I'm not ignorant to the fact that it would be really hard for me to get a coaching job of some sort right out of college," But having Coach Whitaker as a coach -- I know that it is possible and that people have done it, so I'm still going to dream big and try to achieve that."
