Story Links
Feb. 23, 2004
by Cathy Bongiovi Stewart
As her senior season winds down, Anna Prillaman’s thoughts are of the ACC Tournament, post-season play, and graduation.
“It’s been such a long road of playing basketball for 10 or 11 years,” Prillaman said. “It’s just amazing to think that after the season’s over, that’s going to be it. I’ve tried to take everyday as if it were my last time I got to step onto the basketball court and just not take things for granted so much.”
The 5-10 guard from Midlothian, Va., is optimistic as the Cavaliers head down the final stretch of the 2004 season.
“It’s been such an up-and-down season,” Prillaman said. “I think we have to do it like we’ve done before, and that is just take it one game at a time. Hopefully we can win out in the ACC and do very well at the ACC tournament, if not win it. You just never know what’s going to happen.You just have to go out and play hard and not think of standings or where you are in the ACC, but just play hard.”
Prillaman credits her success to her family’s support. In the middle of Walt and Tricia Prillaman’s four children, Anna has an older brother, Brett, and younger twin sisters, Emily and Erin.
“Emily and Erin have been to almost all the games,” Prillaman said, “but Brett’s actually on his way to Iraq.”
A 2002 graduate of the Virginia Military Institute where he also played football, Brett is currently stationed at Fort Dix preparing to help rebuild Iraq.
“He’s in the Army Reserves’ Corps of Engineers,” Prillaman said. “He will probably be leaving in about two weeks. He’ll be gone anywhere from a year to two-and-a-half years. This is his first (tour of duty).”
Prillaman knows that in addition to her brother’s task of helping to rebuild the war-torn country, he is traveling to a dangerous place.
“Coming from VMI, he has more of an idea (what to expect). He’s already a second lieutenant. He’s excited,” Prillaman continued. “I’m sure there are a lot of mixed emotions with (his deployment). All I know is that I couldn’t be more proud of him for what he’s doing.”
While Prillaman awaits her brother’s return, she will be focusing on the Hoos’ remaining games and graduation. An American politics major, her plans after graduation in May are yet to be determined.
“After taking classes in politics, I’ve decided it’s not something I really want to be into,” Prillaman shared. “I’m very interested in it as being away from it, but as far as being directly involved in it, it’s not something I want to do.”
But the senior hasn’t ruled out staying close to the sport she loves.
“Eventually I want to get back into coaching, but I will probably take a few years off,” she said.
Prillaman would prefer coaching on the high school level.
“There’s so much that comes with (coaching on) the college level- recruiting, being on the road,” Prillaman explained. “I would rather focus on the game and the girls instead of all that extra stuff.”
Prillaman currently stands third in team scoring and is the Cavaliers’ top three-point shooter. She stands third on UVa’s all-time three-point bucket list. The Virginia native grew up watching the great Cavalier teams and wanted to follow in those footsteps.
“Ever since the early ’90s with Dawn Staley and that whole crowd, I always wanted to go to the University of Virginia and play basketball here,” Prillaman revealed. “So I’m very glad that I got to fulfill my dream and my goal.”
Now there are young girls in the stands at University Hall who want to play basketball at Virginia, because Anna Prillaman played here. That’s the ultimate compliment.