NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Her talent has taken her around the world. But for basketball standout Adrienne Motley - home is never too far away.
"Home is where the heart is," Motley said smiling. "The 757, it's always going to be with me."
With her in the form of a 7:57 wrist tattoo, her home area code, that looks like the face of a digital watch. However, due to COVID-19, the clock has stopped, temporarily, on Motley's basketball career.
The former Woodside High School star, who was an All-ACC performer at The University of Miami, was playing professionally in Portugal when the pandemic ended her season this spring.
"I had less than a week to find a flight home - get home, get packed up and get paid up," Motley told News 3 Sports Director Adam Winkler Monday. "It was pretty tough situation. Then, getting here, you had to quarantine for two weeks."
Motley has played seasons in Sweden and Spain prior to Portugal. Here in just a few weeks, her international career continues - contingent on COVID-19.
"I signed with a team in Greece, right outside of Athens," Motley explained. "It's a great league - and a step towards where I want to be in my career. My contract says I have to be there no later than September 15th. So, hopefully they get everything straight so I can go over there, quarantine and get tested. We'll just see how everything falls out."
Currently, U.S. citizens residing in the United States are banned from entering Greece for non-essential travel - which includes tourism. Motley says she's unlikely to be impacted because she's an employee of a Greek professional basketball team.
Until she leaves for what will be her fourth professional season, Motley stays in shape with workouts at Aiga Performance in Newport News. But it's been months since she's played a game of 5-on-5 basketball.
"Colleges are closed down," Motley pointed out. "I'm used to getting open gym runs at Hampton, Norfolk State and ODU - but you can't even do those anymore. It's a matter of finding others ways to get in shape."
Even though The 757 will always be home, it's almost time to leave and get back to playing the game she loves.
