Zippy Broughton is a free spirit who loves the team sport of basketball.
Raised on a farm in Alabama, Broughton’s college career began at Rutgers, but after three years in New Jersey, she headed to Florida and joined the Gators. Now, she’s in Germany, getting her first taste of pro ball at TK Hannover Luchse.
Meet the aspiring member of the 5:30 club, who continues to work on herself (and her game) and documents her journey in journals, which she one day will publish. Some highlights from her conversation with Swish Appeal include:
On which was more important for her, the 2018 Alabama Gatorade Player of the Year (for her basketball play) or Jimmy Hitchcock Memorial Award (for her exceptional character):
If I had to choose. I’ll say Gatorade Player of the Year just because I was able to use that award for social engagement. So I won the Alabama Gatorade Player of the Year award and after that I was able to enter into an essay contest. And so I won the essay contest for all the women’s basketball players in the country. So after I won the Gatorade Player of the Year, I was able to donate $11,000 to whatever nonprofit organization I wanted to. I chose the Boys and Girls Club in Alabama, so I’ll pick Gatorade Player of the Year.
How a dream predicted her injury (and convinced her that things will work out):
Before my shoulder tear, a few days before, I had a dream that I woke up crying from. My mom is alive, but in the dream it was her spirit and she was basically in the dream, telling me, “Something big is about to happen, but you’re going to be okay.” And two days later, I tore my shoulder and ended up having surgery and then was out for months and I didn’t know what it meant then. But I know I woke up crying. And then after I tore my shoulder, I’m like, “I needed to hear that.” And the dream came into fruition. I was okay. I’m better than ever now. Like, I don’t think about my shoulder at all when I play. It was tough at first, but yeah, crazy things happen and I’m just so blessed.
A special thank you to Jesper Sundberg of TK Hannover Luchse for arranging the interview.
