Darling's precious challenge

Women's Basketball, May/Jun 2003 by Elfman, Lois

I basically had to start from scratch - walking, then jogging. Gradually getting faster, Trying to lose weight all at the same time. Trying to deal with kids. Your body gets worn down. There have been times where I said, 'I need to take a couple of days off,' because mentally and physically I've been drained," says Cleveland Rockers point guard Helen Darling, who on April 13, 2002, gave birth to triplets (Ja-Juan, Jalen and Nevaeh).

After a breakout WNBA season in 2001, Darling, 24, spent most of the 2002 season at home in Columbus, Ohio. While she followed the results, she avoided watching games on television or live, unless she was making a personal appearance in Cleveland.

"I didn't watch many of the (James because it was too painful. I would immediately go into a depression," she says. "I did talk to some of the girls occasionally."

Instead, she and boyfriend Orlando Tot stayed focused on their three little blessings. They learned how to be practical with such a full household.

'A lot of people say, 'You've got to get three of everything! No, we don't," Darling says. "If I got three toys, only one would get played with. No need spending money on three of the same toy.

"I really haven't bought any clothes because when the babies were born, everybody bought them clothes," she adds. "Then Christmas came, so they got more clothes. Their birthday, more clothes. People are always buying them clothes. So we focus on the practical things."

The 5'6" Darling, who finished her playing eligibility at Penn State in 2000 (and was picked in the second round of the 2000 WNBA draft), graduated in December 2001 with a degree in education. Her senior year she won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith award (for players under 5'7"). She is honest to say that she considers herself an athlete first.

"I've been an athlete all my life," she explains. "I say I'm an athlete first and a mom second, but I do put my children first. Being a mom is not something I have to practice. It's something that just came naturally."

She keeps a StairMaster and free weights at her home, and manages to get in a good workout every day while the triplets are napping. The more difficult challenge is finding time for oncourt workouts and pickup games.

"That's the hardest part," Darling says. "I'm in shape. But basketball shape is different from just being fit."

Tot often works late, so she needs to make arrangements for the kids. Darling offers thanks to her mother, Patricia Smith, and other family members for being great help. She is on the court as often as possible.

At press time, another WNBA player, Astou Ndiaye-Diatta of the Detroit Shock, had just given birth to triplets (two girls and a boy). Darling jokes that she is a little jealous she didn't get to be the only WNBA player with triplets for more than a year. She will probably be the first to return to action. She will even let her kids attend a few games - as long as they're behind the bench.

"I want to prove that it's possible to come back one year after having triplets," she says. "I am a person who likes to visualize. Every night before I go to bed, I visualize what it's going to be like when I come back. I try not to set my expectations too high, but I know where I want to be, the kinds of things I want to do. How I want to play."