University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Meet the Bulldogs: Sophomore Bronaza Fitzgerald
11.03.2015 | Women's Basketball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - The UNC Asheville women's basketball team tips off its 2015-16 season at East Tennessee State Friday, Nov. 13. As an opportunity to “Meet the Bulldogs,” one student-athlete will be highlighted each day leading up to the start of the season. Today's featured Bulldog women's basketball player is sophomore Bronaza Fitzgerald.
A 6-0 post player, Fitzgerald led the team in field-goal percentage (.593) while averaging 5.7 points and 4.1 rebounds in 22 games last season.
UNCABulldogs.com recently sat down with Fitzgerald.
Bronaza “Bree” Fitzgerald
Sophomore
Danville, Va.
What is your major? “Mathematics with hopes of receiving my teaching license.”
Do you have any nicknames other than Bree? “I go by Breezy F Baby, please say the baby, or I go by Breenaree. My friends like to mess up my first name and call me Bronza or Bronaca.”
How long have you been playing basketball? “I've been playing basketball since I was able to have a ball in my hands so I would say three or four (years old). My family is a basketball family. My cousins played so I would always go to their game and have a ball in my hands then. But fun fact, I hated basketball all the way up to about seventh grade. I wanted to be a cheerleader but my dad killed that dream. I love basketball now, we have this love-hate relationship but right now I'm loving it.”
Who has been your biggest basketball influence? “My biggest influence I would say as far as personally would be my mom and dad. They both pushed me from their backgrounds and opportunities from playing ball as well as my cousin who went to college to play basketball. But as far as my role models for who I aspire to be on the court, I would say Kevin Garnett and the entire team knows that. Any post player, any person I would be Kevin Garnett.”
Why did you choose UNC Asheville? “I chose UNC Asheville because I felt like it was my home away from home. When I came here it was just like 'welcome, you're here,' so I didn't have that funny feeling like 'eh, should I go here, should I not?' I just loved the environment, the people here although they're kind of different I still love them. The team of course, they are welcoming. The coaches welcomed me from the start and didn't make me feel like an outcast. I appreciated that and that's what you look for as a player, you want to be welcomed and don't want to feel like you're singled out or you're an outcast.
What are you most looking forward to this season? “Being back on the court. Just being able to play and show my skills and show that my minor setback was really a minor setback for a major comeback. Going full out and showing my capabilities and show that I'm better than what I was when I first got hurt.”
Who is the best dancer on the team? “I would say me but that's a lie. I would say Khaila. Is it Khaila? Yeah it's Khaila Webb, Webb gang.”
What are three things you can't live without? “God of course, my mommy that's my number one fan and best friend, the third thing I can't live without I would probably say - I don't want to say my phone because I can live without my phone - clothes and heels. If I can't have my heels, it hurts me. They'll tell you, as soon as they said I could take my brace off I put on heels the first day. I wasn't supposed to but I did it anyway, sorry.”
If you could max out credit card at one store, what store would it be? “Mine's would be Ross and Marshall's, between those two. They are affordable and I'm a bargain shopper so you've got good stuff for a cheap price. I went to Marshall's not too long ago and I got almost three bags worth of clothes for 100 dollars, so can't beat that.”
All-time starting five, who would you want on your team? “Bree, Bronaza, Breenaree, Bronaca, and Miss Fitzgerald. No? Okay. For real I would probably have Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, and switch it up and put Steph (Curry) on there. So you have two three-point shooters, a post who can do about everything and then you've got Paul Pierce who's a good forward/shooting guard.”
So pretty much the 2008 Boston Celtics team? “Pretty much, plus Steph. Or maybe my brother instead of Steph. If Steph is sick, I put my brother on my team. They resemble each other, they play alike.”
So you're sixth man would be your brother? “I'll give props to my brother, he'll appreciate me.”
Do you have a favorite saying from Coach Mock? “Consistency is key.”
What's something most people may not know about you? “Something nobody knows about me is that, well Tyler (Smith) knows about this because she found out when she went home, is that I used to be in a girl group when I was younger in elementary school. Me and three of my friends, we were called TQLB which stood for Turquoise, Quanisha, Lajoya and Bronaza. We had like four songs out, my dad has the songs on his laptop. We performed them at my birthday party a couple years. We thought we were going to be the next Destiny's Child. My mom was like our 'mommager.'”
What happened? “We actually went our separate ways come middle school. One of our friends stopped associating with us after middle school. We finally got back together in senior high but we never decided to get back on track with the singing. We still communicate, we just don't talk about the singing past.”
Did you have a Beyonce of the group? “I don't think we had a particular Beyonce because each different song, each person had a different main part whereas Beyonce was always in front. My favorite song, I'll never forget it, was called Puppy Love and my friend she just we came up with it off the top of her head and went in and we were like 'oh my gosh, that made us feel some type of way, we need to redo our verses.' It was a fun experience. My neighbor at the time had a studio in his basement so that's where we went and did everything. We're not going to talk about those songs anymore. My dad still plays them to this day and it kind of hurts me and and scares me. My dad's a DJ so if he plays music so I hear those songs all the time. I'll be sitting there dancing and next thing you know the song's playing and I'm like 'dad, cut it out.' And everybody's dancing like 'who sings this?' and I'm like 'don't tell them, don't tell them.' I'm glad people dance and not know who it is, that's a good thing.”
When I'm not on the basketball court, I am… “I'm actually either doing something creative, like creating arts and crafts or I'm probably listening to music or talking to my mom. I'm mostly talking to my mom. I'm always on the phone with my mom. I talk to her right before practice, even if its five seconds before, I talk to her right after practice when I can. Talking to my mom, that's what I would say.”
When's the last time you took a selfie? “I don't know. I'm not really a selfie person unless I'm really dressed up or feel like my mom calls and is like “oh you're going out, take a selfie and send it to me.” It was Thursday, because we had team dinner and I sent it to my mom.”
