By Christi Mays
When Ana Paula Monteiro Lilly first came to UMHB to play basketball, she barely knew a word of English. But when the six-foot-two native Brazilian stepped out on the court, no words were needed. She was in her element.
“I have so many good memories from UMHB and being part of the basketball team,” said Ana, who played on the women’s team from 1993-97.
Because of her height, Ana first played volleyball while she was in middle school in Brazil, but soon discovered club basketball and played throughout high school and continued even afterward. While on summer break, a former club team member, Marcia Oliveira, came to watch Ana play in a tournament. Marcia was attending college in Texas, but had met Dr. Cliffa Foster, HA and was planning to transfer to UMHB to play basketball. She convinced Ana to go with her. So, the following semester, Ana found herself at UMHB playing ball under Coach Foster, who was the women’s basketball coach at the time.
“Coach Foster is an awesome person and coach,” she said. “She got the best of me as an athlete, and as a person. It made a difference having someone like her leading us and getting the best out of everybody on the team.”
And “getting the best” was exactly what she got. Under Foster’s leadership, Ana and her team went to the nationals all four years that Ana played ball at UMHB. That first year, Ana was named “Freshman of the Year,” and her last two years she earned a spot on the All-American team. She earned the title of leading rebounder at UMHB and still holds the title to this day with more than 1,000 rebounds. She is also the leading scorer with more than 2,000 points.
At the time Ana played for UMHB, the school was a part of the NAIA Conference, which allowed students to receive athletic scholarships. Ana was offered a place on the team even though Coach Foster had never even seen her play. And it turned out that UMHB and Ana were the perfect match.
