![\"Indiana](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/PTB-L-IUN-SLAM-0128-12.jpg\")
Indiana University Northwest Chancellor Arrick Jackson introduces former professional basketball player and coach Sylvia Crawley Spann during a speaking engagement on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (Kyle Telechan\/for the Post-Tribune)<\/p>\nArrick Jackson, chancellor of Indiana University Northwest, first met Sylvia Crawley Spann in an elevator following the Women\u2019s National Basketball Association all-star game.<\/p>\n
During that interaction, Crawley Spann made a \u201cmemorable impression,\u201d Jackson said, giving him advice on how to give the best handshake.<\/p>\n
Indiana University Northwest Chancellor Arrick Jackson introduces former professional basketball player and coach Sylvia Crawley Spann during a speaking engagement on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (Kyle Telechan\/for the Post-Tribune)<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst of all, I want to say, you never get a second chance to make a first impression,\u201d Crawley Spann said. \u201cSo, I\u2019m glad that I was on my best behavior in that elevator.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jackson and Crawley Spann\u2019s interaction opened the door for the former basketball player to spend a day on IUN\u2019s campus.<\/p>\n
\u201c(The student government association) told me that they want more engagement between the students and the community, and I immediately thought of Sylvia,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cI remembered she was a motivational speaker, and I reached out to her to see if she would talk to us \u2026 and she agreed.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Wednesday morning, Crawley Spann gave a motivational talk at IUN as part of her SLAM Leadership program. SLAM stands for self-confidence, leadership, accountability and mindset. The university also planned for her to have a public meet and greet and serve as the honorary coach for the women\u2019s basketball team during their Wednesday night game.<\/p>\n
![\"Former](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/PTB-L-IUN-SLAM-0128-11.jpg\")
Former professional basketball player and coach Sylvia Crawley Spann, on left, speaks with Edison Lake Station students Brooklynne Walker, center, and Alexander Burts after an exercise during her visit to Indiana University Northwest on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (Kyle Telechan\/for the Post-Tribune)<\/p>\n
Crawley Spann, 53, grew up in Steubenville, Ohio, and she played basketball, volleyball, and track as a child. She played college basketball at the University of North Carolina, and she played professional basketball at multiple teams. She was the first women\u2019s slam dunk contest winner and coached collegiate and professional basketball, including for the Indiana Fever.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love the opportunity to impact lives without a jersey and now with a (microphone) in my hand,\u201d she said. \u201cI like to show them that there\u2019s going to be opposition, and there\u2019s going to be people that don\u2019t believe in you, but you have to look yourself in the mirror and believe in yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Through her talk, Crawley Spann used her basketball experience to relate to her talk. She told various stories, including a time when she worked a basketball camp with former NBA star Michael Jordan.<\/p>\n
The two players faced off in a pickup basketball game at the camp, and Jordan \u201cdunked on\u201d Crawley Spann. She said she was so embarrassed at the moment, but she used the challenge to teach her how to dunk better.<\/p>\n
![\"Former](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/PTB-L-IUN-SLAM-0128-8.jpg\")
Former professional basketball player and coach Sylvia Crawley Spann describes learning from the time Michael Jordan dunked on her during an exercise as she speaks to students and visitors at Indiana University Northwest on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (Kyle Telechan\/for the Post-Tribune)<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you view challenges, mistakes and failures as stepping stones, it eliminates the fear of failure,\u201d Crawley Spann said. \u201cNow, I\u2019m not afraid to fail, and I\u2019m not afraid to mess up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crawley Spann likes to connect basketball to real life in her talks because those experiences define who she is and taught her life lessons. Because of her basketball career, Crawley Spann has lived in 16 countries and learned to speak four languages, so she says that she has \u201ca wealth of knowledge and intellectual property to share.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe everyone\u2019s journey is somebody else\u2019s survival guide,\u201d Crawley Spann said. \u201cYou live through it, not just for you, but to help the people who are currently going through it. You\u2019re a living witness, a testimony that you can survive this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crawley Spann also had activities for participants, including a drill that would outline multiple difficult scenarios for students \u2014 including not starting during a basketball game or not being asked to the school dance \u2014 and had volunteers respond to the scenarios, talking into a mirror and saying something encouraging to themselves.<\/p>\n
![\"Former](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/PTB-L-IUN-SLAM-0128-9.jpg\")
Former professional basketball player and coach Sylvia Crawley Spann speaks to students and visitors at Indiana University Northwest on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (Kyle Telechan\/for the Post-Tribune)<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to be able to look at yourself in a mirror and say, \u2018I can do it,\u2019\u201d Crawley Spann said. \u201c\u2018I am great. I\u2019m still going to go in the game, and I\u2019m still true to who I am. I\u2019m going to work hard, and that\u2019s not going to change what I do and who I am.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Crawley Spann said it was rewarding to see attendees engaged with the motivational presentation, either through participating or asking questions afterwards. It makes her feel like she\u2019s making a difference in their lives, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy goal is always to tell a \u2018me story\u2019 but make it a \u2018we story,\u2019\u201d Crawley Spann said. \u201cI don\u2019t want to just talk about what I did, but I want them to understand how to apply it and make their lives better. That\u2019s the impact I want to make.\u201d<\/p>\n