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The nets have long been cut, the final horn has sounded and the state championship trophy is resting comfortably in the trophy case at Vandebilt High School.
But basketballs are still pounding the hardwood floors and sneakers are still squeezing as you enter the gym because Theresa Plaisance is hard at work to do as much preparation before her move to LSU this summer.
The McDonald’s All-American sat down with me for a half-hour last Thursday following one of her shooting sessions and here is what she had to say regarding her career at Vandebilt, and various other information about herself.
SportsNet: What is your favorite food?
Theresa Plaisance: This is difficult for me, because I love food. I guess my favorite fast food would have to be McDonald’s, and I promise it has nothing to do with the game. I’ve just always been a fan. I love McDonald’s. But my favorite real food, that’d have to be sushi. I love sushi. It doesn’t really matter from where. I love sushi in general.
SN: Do you have a favorite television show?
TP: I don’t really watch TV, but I know I have a favorite show … At my house, ESPN and SportsCenter is probably what’s on the most, so I’ll go with that and Hannah Montana, because who doesn’t love Hannah Montana?
SN: Something people don’t know about Theresa Plaisance?
TP: I really enjoy making people laugh. I might look really intimidating up front because of how tall I am, but I’m just a big joker. I was voted my class clown this year, actually, so I definitely have a reputation for making people laugh.
SN: Do you have a specific joke you tell?
TP: Not really, it’s usually just up to what’s happening at that time. You make lemonade out of lemons, so I just take whatever the situation is and try to make it funny, no matter what it is. Usually at school, we all get together and just pick on Coach Luke, and everyone kind of gets a kick out of that. But we definitely don’t talk behind her back. She knows we’re doing it – that’s the only fair way to do it.
SN: Do you have a favorite childhood story or memory you like to share?
TP: As a kid, my mom didn’t really allow us to eat sweets all that much. I ate all of my broccoli at dinner, because at our house, you had to eat your broccoli to get a little treat after dinner. So when I was 8 years old, I went to spend the night at my mom’s friend’s house because my mom coached her daughter. It was after dinner and they asked me, “Well, do you want an ice cream sandwich now?” And I looked at her and I was like “Eww, I don’t want to eat ice cream on bread.” But they explained to me what it was and I ended up eating I think seven that night, because they are so good and I was deprived of ice cream sandwiches at my home. Another great memory for me was winning the punt, pass and kick. I think that was 11 or 12, so that was awesome. The Saints ended up coming to my school and they did so much for me that whole month. It was amazing.
SN: An NBA or WNBA player you model your game after:
TP: People tell me that I play like Dirk Nowitzki from the Dallas Mavericks because I’m a big person that can shoot. So people tell me Dirk, but I’ll be honest, I don’t watch the NBA all that much. I watch the Hornets’ games, but I definitely like college basketball a lot more.
SN: If not LSU or Nicholls, who do you root for in college basketball?
TP: All of the teams I had in my Top 6. I want them all to do well. Oklahoma, DePaul, Purdue, Notre Dame and Auburn. I want them all to do well and I wish them all the best. It’s funny because when I was making my bracket, I was able to do them all until those teams had to play each other, then I was stuck. I couldn’t choose after that. That’s where my bracket stopped.
SN: If you were a cartoon character, who would you be?
TP: I’m thinking Disney right now, so I’m going to go with Dory from Finding Nemo. People tell me I remind them of Dory and I honestly don’t know why. I don’t really forget stuff a lot. It’s just Dory’s personality, I guess. If we’re going real cartoons, I’m going to go with Mickey Mouse, because I’ve always loved him. He’s just my favorite. Growing up, I’d watch the Mickey Mouse club with Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake way back in the day.
SN: The McDonald’s All-America game: What kind of experience was that for you?
TP: It was the most amazing experience of anything I’ve ever been to. It was life changing to do everything we did in that week and to see everything that we saw. We visited the Children’s Hospital and saw kids in wheelchairs or with bandages around their heads and it changed me as a person on the inside, because I left there a lot more grateful for my talents. God gave me a great body with a great skill-set to go with it and he blessed me with height and I’m so thankful for all of that. To be able to see what some other children have to go through, it just makes me feel so fortunate and it makes me want to just work that much harder to achieve my goals for them, because they were never given the chance to.
SN: Your Vandebilt career is coming to a close here in the coming months with graduation looming. What is your fondest memory here?
TP: It has to be winning state this year. Nothing can compare to that feeling you get when the clock hits zero, and you’re the state champion. With everything this team has been through within the past few years, we were able to come together this year and win it. Coach Luke, she’s the best coach I have ever played for, and she truly deserves all of the credit because without her, we would have just been a bunch of individuals. She brought us together and made us work hard together. She’s a great coach, and we owe it all to her.
SN: A lot of people at LSU have never gotten the chance to see you in person yet, but everyone is excited about your arrival. Do you have a message for LSU fans anxious for your debut in Purple and Gold?
TP: I just want them to know that I’m really excited to go out and play. I’m really anxious to play before all of the hometown people. That’s exactly why I wanted to go to LSU, so I could stay close to home. I’m just really excited. I want to get on that floor so bad in my freshman year, and I’m going to work so hard to get there, because I know I’m playing behind some really, really good players. It’s going to be really tough to get on the floor, but trust me, I’m going to do everything I can and will work my butt off this summer to get on the floor next year and make everyone proud.
Vandebilt Catholic center Theresa Plaisance (left) defends fellow McDonalds All American and Florida State commitment Natasha Howard at the 2010 McDonalds All-American game. * File Photo / Tri-Parish Times
