Well versed with having big eyes, setting goals and then reaching them, at the age of 11 Lisa went to a Blue Chips Camp at UCLA and decided that was the school she would attend. And so she did. At the end of her ninth grade year in high school she decided she would be the California Sophomore Player of the Year. And so she was.
At UCLA she decided she wanted to leave her name throughout the school’s record book in scoring, 3 point shooting, and steals. And so she did. She always wanted to win a gold medal representing the United States. That goal was achieved in 2005. She wanted to play in the WNBA for her home team, the LA Sparks. She was their number one draft pick. But none of these things came easy for Willis, and that’s why she pushes hard work and smart work; part of the T.W.P! fundamental beliefs. She put her best foot forward with T.W.P! Willis has worked in the player development arena since her days playing basketball at UCLA and while playing professionally for the LA Sparks, she started her first weekly clinic called Work Hard, Play hard.
It was a clinic ran at an affordable price for all to come. In 2009, towards the end of her professional career she founded “Need A Jumper?” player development company. Known as a 3 point shooter around the world and seeing what a great jump shot could do for a player, Willis let her shooting abilities be the catalyst for teaching the youth the game of basketball. While Lisa Willis was a great shooter, she was so much more of a player because of all the things she brought to the table: not only physically, but mentally as well. Today, it is all the other things that makes her developmental program a success.
Lisa Willis has always had a passion for basketball, youth development, education and community empowerment, and it is with all of these components that TWP was founded. Willis found that her the parents and players loved her training, but they loved all the care, mentoring, appearances, conversations, and phone calls to coaches that Willis exercised. Her personalized and fair approach in treating the “not so good” players like the “good” player in terms or quality, time, care and passion has been said to be a huge bonus for families across the nation. While Lisa Willis simply felt like parents and players are expecting First Class service, she soon learned that her standards were not the same standards as others held. She then decided to make her personal values and beliefs be the TWP Standard.
- WNBA
- TEAM USA
- FIBA
- UCLA
Montreat College, Head Coach ‘14
Player Development Specialist to High School National Champions, NCAA D1, D2, D3 players, WNBA players, FIBA players and more
WNBA #5 Draft Pick 2006
WNBA 3point Leader 2008
WNBA Play of the Week 2008
Top Player in Turkey 2007 and 2008
Won Latvian National Championship 2010
PAC10 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Named prior to the season by Nancy Lieberman of ESPN as the nation’s best defender
Honorable mention AP All American
Third Team All American selection by Women’s Basketball News Service
Pre Season Naismith Award Nominee
Nominated for the Bayer Advantage Senior Class Award
Schools All time 3point shot leader (second on All Time PAC10 list)
Ninth on the All-Time school scoring list
Fifth in all time games played
13th on all time school rebounding list
10th in all time school scoring list
Eigth in all time school free throw percentage
Second in all time school steal list
First player in history to record three straight seasons with 100 or more steals
Ranked first in 3point shooting on USA Team
Ranked fourth in scoring on USA Team
2005
UCLA’s all time 3point shot leader
Selected first team All PAC10
Ranked sixth in nation in steals
Became first Bruin to record back to back 100 steals seasons
Tied her own school record for made 3point shots
Had 26 double figure scoring games
Had nine double figure rebounding games
2004
Total of 100 steals was the most ever by a UCLA sophomore
Ranked third in NCAA in steals per game
Ranked ninth for sophomores scoring at UCLA
Ranked first in PAC10 in steals
Ranked first in PAC10 in 3point shots made
Ranked seventh in PAC10 in defensive rebounding, 15th in overall
Ranked tenth in PAC10 in scoring
2003
Finished the regular season seventh in PAC10 3pointers made
Ranked second on UCLA’s All-Time single season frosh list for 3pointer
Earned Gold medal
Ranked first in 3point shooting on USA Team
Ranked fourth in scoring on USA Team
Won second straight City Championship
Second team All-State selection by Cal Hi Sports
Los Angeles City Player of the Year
First Team Marine League
First Team All-City
Second Team All-Area by Daily Breeze Back to back City, State, and US National Championships
Nike All American
Honorable mention All American US Today and Street & Smith’s
Sophomore State Player of the Year
ABOUT LISA WILLIS
