Former pro hoopster now counsels other athletes

Sports Odds and Ends

First of two parts

An athlete’s mental health is just as important, possibly more so, as her or his physical health.

Former ABL and WNBA player and two-time NCAA champion Val Whiting is a certified mental performance coach who since 1998 has worked with college, high school and professional athletes to enhance their performance.

It’s about self-compassion, Whiting told me during a phone interview. “Athletes on a whole are very hard on ourselves,’ she pointed out. “We’re our biggest critic. We know we had a bad game, and we’ll beat ourselves up even more than it needs to be so stressed.

“Having self-compassion… That’s the best thing,” she advised.

Whiting was a pre-med student at Stanford, where she also played basketball (1989-93), played on the 1990 USA team as a freshman in the U.S. Olympic Festival in Minneapolis, won two NCAA championships, and played in three Final Fours. She graduated with a B.S. in biological sciences and was the school’s all-time leading scorer, rebounder, and blocker, as well as the then Pac-10 all-time leading scorer and rebounder.

But as successful as she was in college, her pro stint overall was a mixed bag, Whiting explained. She played in the American Basketball League’s only two years (1996-97) before it folded, and then was drafted by the WNBA in 1998. She played for Detroit (1999) and, after a year off from basketball, two seasons in Minnesota (2000-02). 

“I didn’t have a lot to smile about, or I struggled a lot with my confidence, with my mental health,” said Whiting. “I even took a season off because of depression. 

“I had a baby and came back, but too soon,” she continued. “I struggled a lot, having a baby in March and reporting to training camp in May. Who does stupid stuff like that?”

Originally accepted for medical school, Whiting deferred it for a while, but ultimately never attended, according to her. 

“I like professional basketball too much. I was only supposed to play pro ball for two years, and I was just to go overseas [to play]. Then professional basketball came to the United States and I played in the ABL.

“I just fell in love with playing the sport and never went back and never had the passion for it,” said Whiting on not becoming a doctor. “I couldn’t get the same passion I had when I was an undergrad at Stanford,” but she did go back to college and earn a master’s degree in sports psychology. 

On being a Lynx, “I haven’t thought about my Minnesota days on a whole,” admitted Whiting. “It was hard to play for [former coach Brian Agler]. He played a style of basketball that was very physical. It was very frustrating to play as a post player.”

Nowadays, Whiting works with athletes at all levels. Since the pandemic in 2020, her work has become virtually worldwide as Zoom sessions have become the norm, Whiting pointed out. 

“I am all over the world,” she noted. 

Since 2020 Whiting has become a social media influencer and content creator. She also hosts her “Stay Fierce with Coach Val” podcast.