“When you get knocked down, you have to get back up,” said Ciera Dunbar, a U alumnus and former guard for the U women’s basketball team. Her life has reflected that attitude, culminating in a broadcasting career with the Pac-12 Network.
Dunbar grew up in Elko, Nev., playing a variety of sports before settling on basketball. Her high school career was frought with injury — she tore her ACL both her junior and senior years. She fought to recover and kept playing, however, and scholarship offers eventually started pouring in.
“They were really invested in me,” Dunbar said of the U. “They were pretty much always my first choice.”
Dunbar joined the women’s basketball team in 2010 and played in 28 games during the season. She said moving to a new city where she didn’t know anyone was intimidating, but becoming part of the team helped her feel at home.
“Being a student-athlete is incredibly demanding, but when you’re around people who you really love to be around it makes it a lot easier,” Dunbar said. “You’re basically given 14 other people who really become your best friends — family, almost.”
Dunbar’s vision of her future in sports changed dramatically during a 2011 preseason game, when her foot got caught between two players in a screen, slamming her knee into the ground and tearing her ACL for a third time. After reconstructive surgery, she had to sit out the remainder of the season.
“It really changed the trajectory of my basketball career,” Dunbar said. “You’re just not the same player anymore after that.”
Dunbar recovered to play in the 2012-2014 seasons, but she forfeited one additional year of playing time because the physical demands were too much. She focused on her academics, despite the business school rejecting her application. After retaking a class and reapplying, she was accepted into the marketing program.
Former U women’s basketball coach Anthony Levrets spoke highly of Dunbar’s academics and performance on the team.
“She is one of the smartest kids we have ever had in the program,” Levrets said. “Her experience and leadership are invaluable.”
After she graduated in 2014, the Pac-12 offered Dunbar an internship as a production coordinator and later hired her into the position full-time. She now manages every piece of equipment the Pac-12 broadcasters need at 850 events across 12 schools each year. She said the position is a perfect fit and gives her the opportunity to return to the U and keep up with the team.
This season, under new head coach Lynne Roberts, the U women’s basketball team finished seventh in the conference with a 17-14 record and went on a run in the WNIT. At the time of printing, the team was set to participate in the Sweet Sixteen round of the tournament.
The U became a member of the Pac-12 in 2011, bringing more opportunities, coverage and money to U sports teams. But both at the U and across the nation, women’s sports receive far less attention and sponsorship than men’s. For example, 28.3 million people watched the 2015 NCAA men’s basketball championship game, but the following night only 3.1 million people watched the women’s championship.
“I don’t know what the answer is of how to change it,” Dunbar said. “But when you see really good basketball and networks give opportunities for women’s sports to be seen, that will definitely pull people in if people just give it a chance.”
Dunbar is optimistic about her future with Pac-12 and advises students to find their passion.
“Let your personality shine through,” Dunbar said. “Don’t be afraid to take chances.”
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