SPOKANE, Wash. – Zeryhia Aokuso attacks the court with intensity, but behind her competitive fire is something far more personal: her family.
“My family is probably one of the main things that drives me,” Aokuso said. “They do so much for me, the best I can do is just give back to them by performing my best.”
Her foundation comes from the values her family taught her and the pride she carries in her Samoan culture.
“Being Samoan is definitely something I’m proud of,” she said. “There’s not very many Polynesian women who do play basketball, just being one of the many few means a lot to me.”
Her Samoan heritage is etched into her skin through a tattoo that symbolizes her identity and who she represents every time she steps onto the court.
“Honestly, every time I see it, feel it, or I see it in pictures, I constantly get reminded who I’m representing, what I’m representing and how much my culture means to me,” Aokuso said.
Aokuso’s love for the game didn’t start on her own. It grew through generations of women in her family who played before her, a lineage that shaped her passion.
“My mom played, my aunts played,” she said. “It was instilled in me the second I picked up a basketball, I was very grateful.”
After beginning her college career at Saint Mary’s, Aokuso transferred to Gonzaga, where she stepped into a new role she hadn’t taken on before.
“Being at Gonzaga, I’m older and I’m around these new girls who have helped me,” she said “So stepping into a leadership role is not something I’ve always done.”
Aokuso plays for the game she loves, and for the people and the culture that shaped her and this season that is on full display.
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