I decided to write this column with the purpose of sharing our local trailblazers in sports with the younger generations. Like with many other things it’s important for our youth to learn about the amazing sports figures that walked halls of our schools in Sullivan County. Where are they now? 

  When I was in high school there was one name that represented basketball greatness. And, if you mentioned that name everyone knew who she was and we all wanted play like her. Katina Mack. Named Miss New York Basketball in 1991, in 1994 named by NCAA Basketball as one of the Top 10 shooting guards in the country and as of today’s date, ranks in at #17 by New York Sports Writer’s Association on the women’s 150 highest scoring players in high school basketball in New York with 2,586, a Monti High School record that still stands. 

  Her college career boasts many accolades. At her Alma Mater Penn State, she was awarded the Chicago Tribune’s Silver Basketball award as her team’s most valuable player. During her career at Penn State she scored a total 1,463 points from the years of 1992-1996. In 1993 she competed in Junior Worlds in Korea. A 12-member U.S. World Championship team that would compete against teams from all over the country. Katina was one of 32 players asked to try out. And played through a case of strep the year she was selected. 

Teammates: A Sisterhood

  As an athlete playing through aches and pains is a common thing when you’re trying to achieve a goal. I could simply write this column based on all of Katina’s stats, career highs, ups and downs, but I often wonder what these top athletes go through to get to the top? The sacrifices they have to make to become one of the country’s most recognized names. The late nights and early mornings, something I had a chance to speak to Katina about. 

  We spoke first about her high school career and what her favorite thing was about that time. She said, “My teammates! Where you saw one, you saw all of us. They became my family, and I can name every single one of them, I owe a lot to those ladies. I could not have been successful without them, that’s the truth.”

   I also had a chance to ask her about her biggest challenges. Let’s face it we all have them and once you’re at a certain level of play then those challenges are even greater. Her answer was no surprise to me. Katina shared her biggest challenge was herself. “I set my goals so high for myself. And, of course, being raised by [dad] Tommy Mack, I wasn’t allowed to know what losing felt like or not work hard. My biggest challenge was me and learning to give myself some grace. I was really hard on myself but that was a positive too.”

  Being balanced was another challenge for Katina. “Being a student and at the same time being an athlete, balancing the academic part of it was hard. I loved sports, I played plenty of sports in high school, but I needed my academics to fall back on and I see it. It is true, that you’re not going to be able to play that sport your whole life so to have some type of degree or trade or certification under your belt is very important.”

Playing at such a high level often makes me wonder if the person, at the time, grasps the magnitude of that experience. I asked Katina if she really knew how big “it” was. This time her answer did surprise me! She answered with an emphatic, yes! 

  “You’re probably the only person I’ve shared this with, but people don’t realize when you’re playing at that level, playing in high school we were always competing, we were always winning championships and I started playing varsity in the eighth grade, so Karen Atack was my coach the entire time. I played intramurals at the same time but eventually I had to commit to playing varsity and I did. But the one thing people don’t realize that when you’re put in the limelight at that young age it brings pressure to it whether you know it or not, there’s some pressure that comes with it.”

  She goes on to say, “I didn’t want to let my parents down; I didn’t want to let myself down and I didn’t want to let Monticello High School down. I represented all of those things. Katina recalls receiving her first college recruitment letter in the eigth grade. She was under a lot of pressure, but she said, “I learned very quickly how to get back to that balance, that balance of academics and athletics. There was a lot of pressure on me, but it was also pressure that I wanted because I just didn’t want to let anybody down. That drove me to work hard on the court, to be that leader that my teammates needed me to be, it drove me to humble myself and realize that every play that I’ve made, every basket that I’ve made, every record that I’ve broken I did not do that by myself. I had the Tasha Snowdens, I had the Kenya Snowdens, Marketa Davis, I had all of them, so I never take that for granted. They kept me very humble and grounded.”

  Katina’s eigth grade year was very significant. Not only did she play varsity basketball she also played on the AAU circuit playing with 18-year-old competitors, which opened a lot of doors for recruiters to see her in action. “It was a real big thing, she says.” She recalls her parents receiving so many letters.

Work Ethic 

 One can expect when you compete at a high level the work you put in to get there and stay competitive may be slightly above average to say the least. I was curious to know what Katina’s workout was like and how she stayed in top shape. If you knew her dad, then you know that workout was no less than intense and on a regular basis. 

  Her initial response was laughter. “Crystal, my dad, when I was in elementary school, I was probably in fourth or fifth grade, it was early in the morning and I heard my dad and my brother E.J. up around 4am and I never knew what my dad was doing until I got to the sixth grade, the summer before I started, my dad came into my room at four o’clock in the morning and said let’s go! 

  He said, put your running shoes on. “My dad made us run a mile before school and I did that all throughout my middle school years and I don’t think anybody ever did that. My dad was tough.” Well Katina, I can say without hesitation that I definitely did not do that!

   Their goal was to be able to beat their dad running that mile so they could get back home and sleep a little longer before they had to get ready for school. Smart kids. “It taught us something,” she said. “It prepared us, it taught us about being disciplined about being committed to something. That drive, he put that inside of me.” Her mom pushed the academics, she said while her dad was the athletic one. “He knew what we had to be because it was bigger than just that moment.” 

Choosing a college

“It was a very difficult decision. Academically coming out of high school I had done what I was supposed to do so it opened up a lot of doors academically as well. At first it was very overwhelming. I had coaches calling trying to set up college visits. The phone would just ring and ring. Katina finally narrowed it down to Penn State. The number one thing that she was looking for was distance. “I owed it to my parents. For them to be able to be a part of this. 

  That was very important to me. I wanted my parents there, so that was the main reason I chose Penn State.  I wanted to continue to win championships and I’m being honest with you, I wanted to get some rings and be an impact on the team.” She knew that if she attended Penn State, she would be taken care of academically and athletically. 

  Katina majored in Business and then later went back to school to get her master’s degree in education with a specialization in training and curriculum. She is now pursuing another master’s degree in social work to become a licensed social worker.

Giving Back

Katina is currently the Director of a mental health agency in Florence S.C. that services individuals that suffer from mental health issues. Services are offered on an individual or group basis. “We have so many collaborations, I always have to make myself available. Being in the human services field you are consistently giving back.” It’s not about what I can do for myself but what I can do for others. I volunteer in community functions a few times a year. In the past I have volunteered at the YMCA coaching the kids. I used to love that! It’s very important to give back.”    

  Katina has made her home in South Carolina. She has three children: Anaya, Kaiden and Liana and one grandson Prince who is two years old. 

  After Katina graduated from high school future basketball teams would try to duplicate the success of her and her teammates.

 “Everything we did on that court from the years of 1992-1996 was because of the legacy she left behind. Thank you, Katina Mack.”