Dear Iowa Women’s Basketball,
My name is Zachary Draves. I am a featured writer for SB Nation’s Swish Appeal based in the Quad Cities, IA/IL. I have covered you all for the past three years and what a journey it has been. It is a journey I never thought was possible.
I share this with you as a way to let you know that the lives you have impacted include those that you couldn’t possibly imagine, beyond the fans in the stands and those at home who have watched you unleash a women’s basketball renaissance.
Ten years ago, I graduated from Rockford University in my hometown of Rockford, IL. It is hard to believe that it has been a decade and it is even more unfathomable to see where I am at now, as you will soon find out. At that time, I was so optimistic. Probably the happiest I had been in my life then. I was doing well in school, was heavily involved on campus and had made friends I never thought I would have. As a kid who was bullied, was a bully at times as a teen and had long struggled to come to terms with having Asperger’s Syndrome, a condition that makes it difficult to socialize, I felt like I had finally arrived. In terms of my on campus activities, I was involved in Student Government, was an Orientation Leader and volunteered for the American Red Cross…
