This summer, GoVandals.com will be taking a deeper look into the worlds of its current and former student-athletes with the Vandal Tribune.  Stay tuned all summer to hear directly from some of your favorite Vandals.

Former women's basketball standout Alyssa Charlston made an impact for the Vandals the first day she stepped on campus. The four-year starter is sixth in all-time scoring and FGM, 10th in free throws, ninth in free throw attempts, eighth in rebounds, fifth in blocks and first in games played.
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Dear 17-year-old Alyssa,
 
Up until this point, the biggest decisions you've made are whether to take AP English, and who to call your friends.
 
Now, you're about to choose where you will attend college and play Division I basketball. You're staring the future in the face and you don't even know it. But that's a good thing, honestly. Don't put too much pressure on yourself.
 
I know you're not getting any attention from boys, but you are getting a lot of attention from college basketball coaches, and that's special. Yes, I am trying to make you feel better, but I'm not lying.
 
The spring and summer heading into your senior year, you're going to be flooded with calls, emails and letters. Some of your AAU teammates will experience this too.
 
The first coach you'll ever talk to on the phone is Christa Sanford from the University of Idaho. You're lucky to start with her, because most of your other phone conversations with coaches will be awkward. That's just part of who you are right now. Embrace it.
 
You play well that summer, and get offers from several other schools that will excite you. But your first offer is from Jon Newlee, University of Idaho. Are you seeing a pattern?
 
One of those offers will be from a big-name women's basketball program, one that's been to the Elite 8 several times. You would probably ride the bench for a bit but if you worked hard and gained 15 pounds of muscle, you could work your way up. You'll be tempted until the offer is no longer there. You're going to feel dejected, a little crushed. The business side of this basketball recruiting game will feel personal. Please trust me when I tell you; everything happens for a reason.
 
Remember Christa, that coach from Idaho? One more conversation with her, and she lights up your world. Her kindness and warmth will remind you of your Mom. Which reminds me, tell Mom and Dad 'thank you' every chance you get.
 

You'll book official visits to Moraga, California to see Saint Mary's College and Moscow, Idaho. I can't explain the feeling you'll get when you step onto the University of Idaho's campus, but you'll understand when you get there.
 
The beautiful walkways on campus lined with lush green trees weaving around brick buildings, the spacious locker room with all that gear and the new weight room are all going to wow you.
 
But wait until you meet the coaches, the team that has so much fun together. This isn't a business thing anymore, this feels like your new home with your new family.
 
DUH, you choose Idaho. Speaking as your 25-year-old self, boy am I happy you did.
 
Let me tell you why.
 

Your freshman year is a grind. Luckily, your basketball coaches talked to the volleyball coaches, and they will pair you with an amazing human you will call by your own name. She's also Alyssa, she is 6'3" and she's about to change everything you thought you knew about friendship. Your weirdness, sarcasm and sense of humor is matched, no, topped by her. You will laugh until you cry almost every night in that wonderful little dorm room in the Wallace building. She'll be there for every arduous moment, every inkling of homesickness, all while teaching you so much about yourself. She gives your parents a run for their money as your biggest fan, as she will attend every game she can make outside of volleyball travels.She has a working knowledge of basketball, and her observations of your games will have you bursting at the seams. Like when she learns the meaning of an "and-one" and at your next game you hear her yell that from the stands after you finish a layup, with no defenders around. A friendship like this is extraordinary. Alyssa is your person.
 
Back to the grind. You're waking up every weekday at 5:30 a.m. at the latest. Conditioning two days a week in the morning, weightlifting on the other three. Shower, get ready for class. Just a head's up, all your team mates are going to give you a hard time for how long you take to get ready. They have a point, but who cares.
 
After class, it's time for practice. Alyssa, you've never practiced like this before. High school practices? Those were cute.
 
These coaches want everything from you, for nearly three hours every day. Give it to them. If you hold back for one day, you lose a little potential. If you're in a bad mood, forget about it because your teammates and your coaches deserve all you've got. There will be incredibly physical and competitive days that rock you to your core. Days when you're repeatedly going up against your fellow classmate Ashley Walters and you think for a moment you hate each other, embrace it. She makes you better, and she'll also be one of your best friends for life.
 
The relationships with your college teammates are unlike any other. The adversity you push through as student-athletes, the absurd amount of time you spend together, the unbelievable stories you'll have to tell will build incomparable bonds.
 
This is the year where you develop a true hatred for Boise State. Go ahead and embrace this emotion. Your team will beat them every time you play them (three) and you won't play them again because they'll leave the conference. That's all I have to say about that.
 
The highs and lows of college basketball will hit hard your sophomore year. You'll have some of the most efficient nights of your career, where everything you do feels so smooth and the game feels easy. You'll also have some of your least. Don't get discouraged or feel sorry for yourself.  I know it's annoying to hear, but those are the games where you grow up. Not just as a basketball player, as a young woman. You control what you can control, and when your field goal percentage is out of control, do everything else. You won't measure up to all the expectations of others outside of basketball, but be happy someone expects greatness from you.  
 
That someone is your head coach, Jon. He has an innate ability to see what you will be one day, even when you find ways to injure yourself at practice as you stumble around like a baby giraffe. He'll push you as far as he can every single day to get you there. He's tough on you, but he knows what he's doing.
 
Coach Jordan is your position coach. He is incredibly intelligent, demands all your focus, and knows when you're not going 100%. You think no one saw you jog back on D? Wait until you watch film as a team tomorrow.
 
He will teach you what mental toughness is all about. Jon's great at that, too. When you're missing shots, look past it. In school, your sharp memory will serve you well. In basketball, you need to get better at forgetting. Just the negative stuff. DON'T forget plays.
 
A moment here to tell you about some special teachers. You'll know which ones I'm talking about after a few days in their classes. Julie Scott will go to the end of the earth for you if you show her you're willing to work. Glenn Mosley's experience and knowledge will entertain and inspire you. Even when you graduate, they stay in your life and look out for you, so work your tail off for them, too.

Your desire to pursue sports journalism won't change. Be ready to sprint from practice in Memorial Gym to the Kibbie Dome if you want to catch the end of football practice for interviews. For some of them, kneepads, basketball shorts and ankle braces will be part of your on-camera outfit. Good thing the shot is from the waist up.  

Big things coming up in your junior year. Your team shows potential early, nearly beating Cal in the preseason and finishing third in conference. Magic happens in Las Vegas, the setting for the Western Athletic Conference Tournament. After upsetting a red-hot Utah State, you face Seattle U in the championship. I'm getting chills as I write this, because I know you've never cut down a net before. Idaho wins the WAC Championship, you're going dancing!!

Do you understand now why I told you to give everything you had to your coaches and teammates? Sorry for sounding like Dad there, but it's an honest (and rhetorical) question! When this day comes, recall the most grueling, mentally-draining days in your collegiate career.
 
The NCAA selection committee slates your team against UConn. Chills will travel down your spine at tip-off as you are staring at five UConn jerseys across from you. This is what you dreamed of when you made the decision to play college basketball. Be grateful that you are in Storrs, Connecticut, instead of sitting on your couch at home for spring break.
 
The UConn program is in the process of changing the face of women's basketball. They are at a level beyond what you've ever faced. Needless to say, you will not win. But you have a taste of that NCAA Tournament. It's addicting.
 
I'm getting so fired up as I recall these memories, so I'm going to spoil the surprise because I've already been so patient. Your senior year, your team does it AGAIN! Back-to-back WAC Champions!! Somebody should put that on a T-shirt. Wait, if my memory serves, they do. You and your Vandals even win the regular season!
 
Coach gets the whole team "dancing shoes" for the second year in a row, which means fresh Nikes. You feel the electric support from the entire athletic department and school. It sounds corny to you now, but the pride you feel to be an Idaho Vandal is overwhelming. That feeling is permanent.

The time you get to be a college athlete is not.

Pause for a moment here. Take it in, try to make those moments on the team bus when everyone is singing the Fight Song after a victory last a little longer. Take out your headphones and have more conversations with your teammates. When these four short years are over, you will miss these moments so bad it will hurt your heart.
 
Back to the good stuff. Not everyone gets to experience the fruits of their labor so quickly. A regular-season conference championship, two conference tournament championships, two NCAA Tournament appearances. Didn't I tell you your college career was going to exceed your expectations?
 

You'll graduate summa cum laude, a distinction you'll have to Google. You also won't know this until the graduation ceremony when they make you stand up for it as your cheeks catch fire. Your caring professors and relentless effort in the classroom pays off. Summa cum laude means top 3% in terms of GPA. Not bad, nerd.
 
Graduating from the Idaho basketball program is more emotional than you can imagine. Four years connecting with your incredible coaches, teammates, athletic trainers, support staff and athletic administration feel like they're piled into a few short weeks in May. It's hard to explain, but the most consistent feeling you'll get around this time is surprise. You will be so surprised at how much and how fast you've grown, the amazing things you and your team achieved and how many people contributed to who you are.
 
To this day, I still can't tell you who Jon saw you becoming when he extended to you your first offer. I can't tell you why he believed you would be an impact player and leader. But be happy he did, and be proud of yourself for accepting the pressure of high expectations.

 

Your basketball story is nearly, but not entirely finished. Your passport is current, right? You're about to sign a contract to play professionally in Europe! Luxembourg will be your new home, and Luxembourgish your new language. Just kidding, you'll only learn how to say a few worthless phrases by the end of your nine months.
  I'll leave a subtle hint here, to keep you motivated to work hard overseas; what happened in Vegas, doesn't stay in Vegas.
 
I always loved making cheesy pregame speeches, so here comes my favorite part.

Trust in your good sense when making decisions. Even at 17, you're not bad at that. Listen to Dad when he tells you that your decision is as good as you make it.
 
Feed that internal fire you have that drives you to improve. It's in your nature.
 
Teammates will become coworkers and coaches will become bosses in the real world. Treat them all with humility and graciousness. There is something to learn from everyone.
 
Finally, you will fail all the time. So celebrate every victory like it's the world championship of something.
 
 
Go Vandals,
25 year-old Alyssa