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ASIAMS.NET |
ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
Lindsey Yamasaki: Role Model for AA Girls?
n Asian American women's basketball star? As likely as a pair of African American sisters dominating women's tennis! We all know who the tennis sisters are but only a few have heard of Stanford senior Lindsey Yamasaki. The 6-1 Oregon City native turned in one of the best career records in Stanford's illustrious history -- 9th in career points scored and 3rd in career 3-pointers.
Role model for Asian girls?
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As a point-guard admired for a go-for-broke style and lethal 3-pointers, Yamasaki polished her stats each of her four years, ending with a per-game average of 11.4-points. Her final season ended in a 62-59 white-knuckle loss to Colorado in the West Regional semifinal of the 2002 NCAA Championship. For Yamasaki the sting was intensified by missing the game-tying 3-pointer passed off to her by the jittery designated shooter.
What makes Yamasaki a true rarity is that in her first two years she moonlighted with stellar results on Stanford's top-ranked volleyball team before devoting herself to basketball. She was named to the 2001 U.S. World University Games team and was a standout in the eight-game series that ended in victory over China for the gold.
Lindsey Yamasaki is among a dozen graduating seniors most likely to be drafted into the 5-year-old WNBA. The likely starting salary of $40-50,000 is peanuts compared to paychecks in business, law or medicine, but she could have a big impact on a generation of AA girls in search of role models. For AA girls figure skating has become too stereotypical to be cool, tennis is experiencing an AF drought and golf doesn't exactly quicken adolescent pulses. Yamasaki may well be point-guarding a trend -- following hot on her heels are USC junior Kyoko Miller and UCLA freshman Natalie Nakase, two highly promising (albeit currently injured) guards.
One big reason for basketball's growing popularity with Asian girls may well be the white media's obsession with stereotyping Asian women as submissive and/or sexually-available. To nauseated Asian American girls, basketball's in-your-face aggression, wholesome physicality and association with un-geisha-like height looks like the perfect rejoinder.
Is Lindsey Yamasaki a portent of the coming generation of AA women? Or is she an aberration in an ethnic group obsessed with academic achievement and white-collar success?
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
(Updated
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:50:59 PM)
Lindsey,
You are doing a great service for those AA young girls who might now try sports when before the thought wasn't even there.
After all, you're very smart, beautiful and talented.
Sam, Columbia U.
Saturday, April 13, 2002 at 20:25:48 (PDT)
Since people are asking when will Asian-American guys make a mark in basketball, please note that Rex Walters who is half-Japanese was a first round pick of the New Jersey Nets back in 1993 following a very successful college career at Kansas. He is currently with the Miami Heat. I strongly believe that if he had a Japanese last name, he would have had a much stronger following among Asian-Americans. Most Japanese-Americans know his racial background since he played ball in the Japanese-American basketball leagues in the west coast.
Tony Akins is the star point guard at Georgia Tech even though he is short at 5'10". He is half Korean and half African-American. Hope he can make it to the NBA!!
LA yonsei
Wednesday, April 10, 2002 at 16:37:07 (PDT)
I don't care if she's a Hapa or a Whole-a, she is HOTT!!
Annoying Dude
Sunday, April 07, 2002 at 21:30:29 (PDT)
Asian American woman and D%$# proud of it,
I totally agree with what you said. Too many AA feel themselves to be inferior to whites.
Proud 2 b Azn
Sunday, April 07, 2002 at 19:40:35 (PDT)
To Iconic:
As an Asian American college student it is very disheartening to hear you say "as an asian guy, i've pretty much dated white women, but this is one asian woman who i wouldn't mind going out with." You sound like one of those "whitewashed" Asian Americans who has been brainwashed by mainstream, white-dominated American culture. Why don't you like Asian women?
I'm not anti-white. I am just very sad to see Asian Americans who have a "white is right" mentality. White people are not superior or better looking. Everyone, including Asians are beautiful. We should have respect for our heritage and see EVERYONE as equal.
Asian American woman and D%$# proud of it
wunf@jmu.edu
Sunday, April 07, 2002 at 15:37:39 (PDT)
Good luck to Lindsey in the WNBA. I don't follow the WNBA as close as the NBA, but I know there were two Asians in the WNBA a few years ago, although they're not in the WNBA now. One was a 5'9" Japanese point guard and one was a 6'8" Chinese center (the Chinese center's height was from a growth disorder).
Anyway, I'm sure Lindsey will be a welcome addition to te WNBA.
B. Lee
Friday, April 05, 2002 at 20:22:39 (PST)
Lindsey is half japanese I believe but I am glad she has gotten some exposure. The article mentions a few other girls in the NCAA but left out Corrie Mizawa, a Bay Area native, who was at St. Mary's college in Moraga before she decided to leave. COrrie led her team to the NCAA tourney last season and gave powerhouse Tenessee quitea run before falling.
My question is when are Asian American guys going to make an impact on college hoops? Great the gals are doing well but in the Bay Area, Asian boys and girls play a ton of b-ball at the middle school, high school and club levels. With some of those Chinese guys hitting the NBA, I would like to see more AA guys playing college ball.
Don
coach41@hotmail.com
Friday, April 05, 2002 at 14:44:44 (PST)
That girl is fine! I believe she is a hapa because her name is 'Lindsey Brooke Yamasaki'. Anyway, i believe she is doing a great job trying to pull down the stereotypes.
Professor X
Friday, April 05, 2002 at 09:22:05 (PST)
"wow this girl is hot. 6-1? how'd her parents manage that? is she pure japanese?"
I believe she is pure Asian..of East Asian stock. Beyond that there is nothing on her background. But, who cares? She is AA and would be considered an AA by the American society.
"either way, she's pretty hot. as an asian guy, i've pretty much dated white women, but this is one asian woman who i wouldn't mind going out with."
Even for a conservative like me, it is difficult not to lust...she is the Asian version of Betty Crocker and perhaps better looking than most white women I have run into!
"However, she got more camera than all the other girls because she showed more personality."
Perhaps also because she is considered unique and not your everyday typical basketball player.
Asian American Male
Friday, April 05, 2002 at 07:38:24 (PST)
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