• printer friendly
• mail this article
• iPod format
• digg

Photo

Emma Tautolo has been preparing for her senior season by playing for the LA Spirit in the Los Ang

When Emma Tautolo first decided to come to UCLA to play basketball out of high school, she had a pretty good idea about what she was getting into.

“It was everything that I was expecting it to be,” Tautolo said.

A big reason why Tautolo was so prepared to don the blue and gold had to do with a wealth of family connections to both UCLA and major athletics.

Tautolo’s father, John, and two of her uncles, Terry Tautolo and Manu Tuiasosopo, all played football at UCLA before going on to have successful NFL careers. A third uncle, Ray Tautolo, also played football for UCLA.

That influence had an effect on her childhood, as she attended many Bruin athletic events and was a fan of the UCLA women’s basketball team.

With that upbringing, Tautolo, who will be entering her senior year as a forward for the Bruins this season, has had the enormous task of living up to the accomplishments set forth by her relatives.

“There is definitely a lot of pressure on me to live up to the family name and make my family proud,” Tautolo said.

Her cousins, Marques, Zach, Matt and Leslie Tuiasosopo, are all accomplished athletes. Marques is a quarterback for the Raiders, and Zach is a top-rated fullback for the Washington Huskies.

Matt passed up football offers from UCLA and Washington to sign as the Seattle Mariners’ first pick in the 2004 draft, and Leslie was a standout volleyball player at Washington and is currently an assistant coach there.

But while many athletes would complain about the pressure that comes with the territory, Tautolo, who is of Samoan descent, has fed off of the positive examples and support her family has given her.

“Family is extremely important traditionally and culturally,” Tautolo said. “My parents, aunts, uncles and cousins have all been very supportive, and it’s great to have a good support group on your back pushing you.”

Being able to follow in her relative’s footsteps as a Bruin has been a special experience for Tautolo. She not only gets to play for the same school that her dad and uncles donned uniforms for, but she gets to play on the same team that one of her idols, former UCLA women’s basketball and volleyball star Natalie Williams, who graduated from UCLA in 1994 and now plays for the Indiana Fever in the WNBA, used to be on.

“(Williams) was a two-sport athlete, a beast down low (on the basketball court) and just a great all-around athlete,” said Tautolo, who played club volleyball in high school. “I wrote her letters all the time when I was young.”

Although her career at UCLA has not been as productive as Williams’, Tautolo plays a similar role as a forward when she gets into the game. Tautolo has seen limited action off of the bench in her three years of service, averaging 7 to 8 minutes a game each year. Still, Tautolo has been very satisfied and grateful for her UCLA experience so far.

“You always want to play more,” Tautolo said. “That’s just something that any competitive athlete wants to do. But basketball-wise, everything about it has been great so far; the good definitely outweighs the bad.”

Although she has been pleased overall with her UCLA basketball experience, Tautolo knows there is room for improvement in her senior year, and she continues to raise the bar for herself.

“I need to be more aggressive when I get the ball and become a better rebounder,” Tautolo said. “We really need rebounds all the time.”

Tautolo has been working on these skills during the summer playing for the LA Spirit in the Los Angeles Summer Showcase women’s basketball league. She has been playing alongside teammate Noelle Quinn and incoming freshman Tierra Henderson.

“Besides getting in shape and running on the weekends and playing competitive games with real refs, I get to better myself with my teammates and we learn to work together,” Tautolo said. “It is really beneficial for the team.”

In her last year at UCLA, Tautolo is still looking to make her own mark as a UCLA athlete and has high expectations for her team this year. In addition to wanting a Pac-10 championship, Tautolo has a dream she believes is truly attainable this year.

“We’re always shooting for the stars,” Tautolo said. “The Final Four is definitely a goal.”

Regardless of what happens in her final season, Tautolo’s career at UCLA has been special as she has continued a family tradition with dignity and pride.