>> ANGELICA VELEZ OR GELLO AS YOU ARE AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN, AROUND THESE PARTS.

TAKE ME TO THE START OF YOUR BASKETBALL JOURNEY.

GROWING UP IN THE BRONX I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AROUND SPORTS.

MY FIRST SPORT WAS FOOTBALL, QUARTERBACK FOR THE BRONX STEELERS.

I PICKED UP THE BASKETBALL.

I WAS AT THE PARK PLAYING BASKETBALL WITH THE BOYS.

>> I HAVE TO GET MORE ON THE FOOTBALL STORY.

WAS IT A BOYS TEAM?

>> I PLAYED 11 U. I DON'T KNOW.

ONE DAY I JUST WENT TO THEIR TRYOUTS AND I MADE THE TEAM.

I TOLD MY DAD LIKE I WANT TO PLAY FOOTBALL.

PLEASE LET ME PLAY.

I REMEMBER WE HAD OUR FIRST SCRIMMAGE.

I WAS NERVOUS AS HECK BUT I PLAYED QUARTERBACK AND SAFETY.

ONCE I WAS ON DEFENSE AND I GOT A TACKLE, YO POPS, I TACKLED A BOY.

LIKE I ALWAYS WAS AROUND BOYS AND PLAYED SPORTS WITH BOYS.

THAT'S HOW I GOT MY TOUGHNESS.

>> WE COULD HAVE USED A QUARTERBACK THIS YEAR.

SO MAYBE IF WE EVER ARE IN A SITUATION LIKE THAT AGAIN, YOU MIGHT BE READY TO TRY OUT AGAIN AND PUT THE SHOULDER PADS BACK ON.

>> I'M WITH IT.

I'M WITH IT.

I LOVE FOOTBALL.

I WATCH IT ALL THE TIME.

>> AT WHAT POINT DID YOU START TAKING BASKETBALL MORE SERIOUSLY.

>> I MET COACH DOM WHEN I WAS 11.

AND THEN I PLAYED BASKETBALL IN SIXTH GRADE.

I WAS PLAYING FOR FUN.

MY VACATION IN LIFE.

GROWING UP IN THE BRONX, I DIDN'T GET TO EXPERIENCE A LOT.

SO BASKETBALL ALLOWED ME TO SEE THE WORLD.

AND DOING WHAT I LOVE WHILE I WAS DOING THAT WAS A BIG BONUS.

>> BEING FROM NEW YORK CITY, FOR THOSE THAT DON'T KNOW, IT'S A SPECIAL KIND OF GUARD.

IT'S A DIFFERENT BRAND OF BASKETBALL ALMOST.

HOW HAS BEING FROM THE CITY SORT OF SHAPED YOUR BASKETBALL IDENTITY AND PLAY STYLE.

>> IT SHAPES ME BECAUSE I'M SO FIERY.

I GET THAT ATTITUDE, THE BRONX ATTITUDE.

MY FLASHINESS FROM THE BRONX, LIKE MY SWAG.

I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN IT.

>> I'VE SEEN SOME OF THAT FLASH BEHIND THE BACK PASS YOU HAD IN THE AUBURN GAME.

SO THAT QUARTERBACK BACKGROUND, A LOT OF PASSING THE BALL, OF COURSE YOU ARE A POINT GUARD HERE.

HAVE YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO BE THE ONE SETTING YOUR TEAMMATES UP?

>> FOR SURE.

THAT'S WHAT GETS ME GOING.

IT'S NOT ABOUT ME SCORING.

IF I GET MY TEAMMATES INVOLVED, IT MAKES ME FEEL BETTER.

I LOVE MAKING OTHER PEOPLE BETTER.

>> START OF YOUR JOURNEY, YOU WENT TO LSU.

WHAT TOOK YOU TO SYRACUSE?

WHAT MADE YOU TRANSER TO SYRACUSE?

>> COMING OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL, SYRACUSE WAS IN MY TOP TWO BETWEEN LSU AND SYRACUSE.

I REMEMBER GOING THE DIFFERENT DIRECTION.

COACH JACK WAS THE ONLY COACH I TALKED TO.

COMING INTO THE PORTAL, I SPOKE TO SYRACUSE AND I WAS JUST SO FAMILIAR WITH THEM, KNOWING EVERYBODY ON THE STAFF, KNOWING WHAT COACH JACK BRINGS, THERE WAS NO OTHER PLACE I COULD SEE MYSELF.

I KNEW AS SOON AS COACH CASEY PICKED UP THE PHONE, I DON'T KNOW.

I GOT CHILLS: I WANTED TO COME ON SPOT.

BUT I HAD VISITS.

>> SOME THINGS JUST MADE SENSE.

>> TIME TO COME HOME FINAL.

>> I HOW THAT YOU ARE HOME, HOW HAS YOUR SYRACUSE EXPERIENCE BEEN?

>> IT'S GREAT.

LIKE THE PEOPLE, THE FANS, YOU KNOW, THE COACHES, TEAMMATES, THE JOURNEY HAS BEEN EVERYTHING IT NEEDED TO BE.

LAST YEAR WAS A TOUGH YEAR FOR US BUT LIKE I HAVE TAKEN SO MUCH FROM THAT YEAR AND GROWN AND LEARNED AND NOW WITH THE TEAM WE HAVE, I FEEL REALLY GOOD ABOUT WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN THE REST OF THE SEASON.

>> WHAT ARE SOME OF THE LESSONS YOU LEARNED FROM LAST YEAR THAT YOU HAVE NOW BROUGHT INTO THE NEW SEASON?

>> I THINK JUST UNDERSTANDING THAT IT'S A JOURNEY, LIKE, YOU KNOW, MY STEPS ARE ALREADY ALIGNED AND JUST GOING EVERY DAY, GIVING EVERYTHING I GOT, NO MATTER IF IT'S IN SCHOOL, OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL IN MY COMMUNITY, ON THE COURT, JUST TAKING THINGS DAY BY DAY AND JUST EMPTYING THE BUCKET AND GIVING EVERYTHING I GOT AND EVERYTHING WILL TAKE CARE OF ITSELF.

>> LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS TEAM.

YOU ARE ONE OF THE RETURNERS.

THERE WERE A BUNCH OF NEWCOMERS AS WELL.

SEEMS LIKE YOU ARE SUCH A CONNECTED GROUP.

HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO GET ON THE SAME PAGE SO QUICKLY.

>> WE ALL HAVE THE SAME GOAL.

WE ALL WANT TO WIN.

IT'S NOT ABOUT ANY INDIVIDUAL.

IT'S ABOUT THE TEAM AND LIKE WE'VE DEVELOPED A SISTERHOOD THAT I BELIEVE IS REALLY STRONG AND SPECIAL.

AND WE JUST WANT TO SEE EACH OTHER WIN.

WE WANT BEST FOR EACH OTHER.

IT'S NOT ABOUT WHOSE NIGHT IT IS.

SOPHIE COULD BE GETTING 30 AND SOMEBODY HAVING A BAD NIGHT BUT YO, MY SISTER IS GOING OFF.

I DON'T CARE ABOUT ME.

WE ALL HAVE THE SAME GOAL IN MIND AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES US SO SPECIAL.

>> WHEN YOU LOOK BACK ON YOUR SYRACUSE JOURNEY, WHEN YOU LOOK BACK ON YOUR BASKETBALL JOURNEY, WHAT DO YOU THINKUAL TAKE AWAY FROM THIS PLACE?

>> THAT'S KIND OF A BIG QUESTION.

THERE IS SO MUCH I'M GOING TO TAKE AWAY FROM SYRACUSE.

LIKE THIS IS MY HOME.

THIS BECAME MY HOME.

I FELL IN LOVE WITH SYRACUSE.

I'M GOING TO MISS THE FANS; MY COACHES, MY TEAMMATES, BUT I KNOW I'M GOING TO MAKE SO MANY MEMORIES THAT WHEN I COME BACK, WHEN I'M, YOU KNOW, LIKE 50-- HOWEVER OLD I AM AND I THINK WE GET TO SEE A BANNER, THAT'S GOING TO BE REAL SPECIAL.