This past season, sophomore Erica Chandler wore the Buff and Blue of the GW women’s basketball team, but last month she donned different colors while cheering her brother on to an NBA championship.
Ms. Chandler, the 6-foot-4 center for the Colonials, is the younger sister of Tyson Chandler, the 7-foot-1 center for the blue-and-silver-clad Dallas Mavericks, who defeated the Miami Heat in six games in the NBA Finals last month.
“I feel great that my brother was able to accomplish his goal of winning the world championship this year,” said Ms. Chandler. “He is so excited and so are we.”
The Chandler family attended several of the games in the finals, including a Dallas victory in game two on June 2 and the title clinching game six on June 12 in Miami’s American Airlines Arena.
“We were screaming and rooting for the Mavericks during every game and a couple of them almost gave me a heart attack, especially game two, when they came back from 15 points behind,” said Ms. Chandler.
The family topped off the experience by attending the team’s victory parade in Dallas.
Watching Tyson reach the pinnacle of his professional career is the culmination of a long relationship between the Chandler family and basketball. Tyson and Erica’s father, Frank, played college basketball at the University of California, Irvine, and instilled a love for the game in his children.
“I saw how much fun my dad and brothers had when they were playing so it tempted me to want to do the same,” said Ms. Chandler. “My dad helped me to understand the hard work and dedication that is needed to play college sports.”
Ms. Chandler began playing basketball after watching Tyson, nine years her senior, become a phenomenon at Dominguez High School in Southern California and eventually make the jump straight to the NBA in 2001.
The Chandlers eventually moved to the Charlotte, N.C., area where Ms. Chandler’s basketball career began to blossom. She starred for four seasons at Ardrey Kell High School and played for several of the city’s top Amateur Athletic Programs programs, including the NC Comets, NC Flight and Rise 2009.
Her brothers, Tyson and Ryan, gave her pointers as she worked to develop her game. “They would teach me different moves since we were all post (or front court) players, and they would always tell me to be aggressive and keep working hard.”
When colleges came calling, Ms. Chandler eventually chose George Washington for her education because of its “highly rated academics.” She plans to major in criminal justice.
During the basketball season Ms. Chandler said her brother Tyson sends her inspirational quotes every day to help her keep her head up. “Tyson showed me that whatever higher level you go to, you must plan your life around your sport and have people around you that will always support you,” she said.
Ms. Chandler has been cherishing time with her family and friends this summer since she knows balancing a full course load and a basketball career will keep her busy during the school year. She’s also been training with a post coach to help her prepare for the upcoming season, which she says will be “a great one.”
“I am really looking forward to experiencing the more specialized classes that will get me one step closer to completing my major,” she said. “It will also be great to see all my teammates again and meet the new additions to our coaching staff.”