Former CSUN women’s basketball forward Violet Alama.

Life as a globetrotter is nothing new for Violet Alama, a former forward for the California State University, Northridge women’s basketball team. She was born in Honolulu and played in Northridge. Now, her passport is about to get another series of stamps as she heads to Israel to play pro basketball for the Elitzur Holon (Tel Aviv) in the Israeli Female Basketball Premier League.

Alama pulled down 692 rebounds over her four seasons, the fifth-most in school history. She also had 239 career free throws and 85 blocks. Following her junior season, Alama earned All-Big West Honorable Mention honors and was named the league’s Co-Sixth Woman of the Year.

“I definitely attribute a lot of my success to the coaching staff, strength and conditioning coach Jeff Crelling and athletic trainer Sarah Lyons,” Alama told GoMatadors.com. “I was somewhat difficult to get through to at first, but I am glad that they saw my potential and kept pushing me to work harder.”

That hard work paid off in the basketball arena with the offer to play for Elitzur Holon, but it’s also present in her non-sporting life. Alama is finishing her work as a kineseology major and hopes to complete her degree in the fall 2013 semester.

“Getting my degree is very important to me,” Alama said. “The extra time also gives me time to create good habits in the lead-up to Israel, so that when I get there I can keep it up.”

For more: Violet Alama Signs Professional Basketball Contract in Israel (GoMatadors.com)

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