Before she reached the age of 17, Ieshia Small experienced significant heartache. The University of Maryland women's basketball player lost her father when she was 13 years old. Her mother, Michelle, died of a heart attack in March 2011 during Ieshia's sophomore year of high school.
"My mom was great," Small said. "She was the team mom for every team that I was on. She always had the Gatorade for us at halftime and the little fruit bags with oranges, bananas and grapes for every single player. She never missed a game and always supported me in whatever I wanted to do."
The sudden loss of their mother sent Small and her younger brother, Marvin, into foster care. But the Smalls, who lived in Miami, were eventually adopted by Kelvin and Kimberly Davis-Powell, a couple from Tallahassee, Fla., the latter of which coached Small on the Essence girls basketball travel team.
