| SCORECARD IMPRESSIVE LINEAGE | FORGIVE NATALIE CHOU for having a fangirl ‘moment, The 6'1" sophomore Baylor guard gets positively. giddy at the mention of the Nets’ Jeremy Lin—even more so when she thinks about the possibility of meeting him. “Lwould say, ‘'m a huge fan, you're amazing, you're doing, great} ” Chou, 19, says with a giggle. Lin isnt just some player Chou looks upto Like him, she is changing ‘the perception of Asian- American basketball players. Chou was born in Texas, buther mom, Quali Li, grew up in China during the Cultural Revolution and ‘was a member of Beling’s best girls’ team, which led to Quan being moved away from her family to train with the national team when she was 13. By 18 she was playing professionally in China, One thing Quanli had ‘was baskesball, and so she became her daughters coach. “We got into a lot of fights Chou says, “We wouldn't talk. Itwas hards usually with coaches, you just see them in practice, but then you ean go home. ‘With my mom, Iwas with her 24/7” (Natalie did get a break from Mom when Natalie played for NBA veteran Jason Terry on his Lady Jets AAU team from sixth through ninth grades) All those grueling Asian-Americans made up just 2.4% of collegiate female athletes in the latest study by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports. Ultimately she moved to ‘Texas in the mid-1990s with her husband, Joseph, ‘who was studying at Lamar University in Beaumont. Three years later Natalie was born. “They didn’t really have anything, they didn’t know anyone, they didn’t speak English that well?” Chou says. workouts paid off. At Plano West High, Chou was a McDonald's All- ‘American in 2016. Even with that success, though, she didn't always command the respect of her opponents. “In middle school,” Chon says, [defenders] were like, Oh, OK. I got her. They ‘thought (guarding me] ‘would be easy—but that fueled my fire. I wanted to show them, You don't know what you're talking about.” Asa freshman lest season, Chou averaged 47 points off the bench, and she Jed Baylor in three-point percentage 42.9). She hopes thatby playing fora top D-I program, she ean inspire ‘more Asian-Americans toget involved in college athletics. According to the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports, Asian- Americans made up just 2.4% of female athletes across all three cellegiate divisions in 2015-16, the most recent year for which data is available, In men’s sports, the number was even lower: 1.8% “My Asian- American friends, they Jove basketball, bur their ‘ain focus is academies,” says Chou. “Branching out culturally and excelling in both would bea great opportunity” Chou is expected to play bigger role this year for the No. $-ranked Bears, and she should get a lot of ‘open looks with 6'7" Kalani Brown and 6 4" Lauren Cox inthe fronteourt. And when she gets it: “Don't judge a book by its caver” she says. “You don't see a lot of us. But once we're out there, you better watch out” —Jeremy Fuchs