Injuries are a major pain for athletes.
Think missed games and laborious rehab work.
But, Tia Tolbert also thinks of them as inspiration.
She faced many injuries as a basketball player in high school and at Indiana University East. In fact, the 22-year-old was forced to miss 14 games in her senior season with a torn labrum.
“It was hard, very difficult” she admits about dealing with that injury – and others in 18 years of competitive basketball.
The silver lining to Tolbert’s experiences is she will carry a been-there, done-that background into her intended career as a physical therapist.
She wants to work with athletes, but has a strong long-term interest in pediatric PT, thanks to job shadowing experiences at Reid Health.
“I’ve received so much physical therapy that I want to reciprocate. That inspires me. The children inspire
me.”
She kept encouraging her teammates, being a vocal leader when she couldn’t play. No matter whether she was on the floor, on the bench or watching women’s college basketball phenom Caitlin Clark play on television, it was always fun to be part of the Red Wolves:
“I’ll miss it. I made lifelong friendships,” she said. “That is what really matters.”
The native of Vincennes earned a bachelor’s degree in human life science at IU East:
“It’s not technically a PT degree, but very similar,” she said.
Up next is a three-year doctorate program in physical therapy at the University of Evansville.
“I am very excited to get going. It’s been my dream since freshman year of high school (at Rivet Catholic),” she said.
Tolbert maintained a 3.8 GPA and won numerous awards for her academic achievements. She is an Honors Program Graduate, which was announced at the Honors Convocation on April 18.
Tolbert piled on four minors at IU East – exercise science, psychology, neuroscience and chemistry. That kind of versatility is part of her mindset, her drive to succeed.
“I played whatever position asked, played consistently as a sophomore and junior,” said the 5-foot-10 guard.
Her best season, when she started nine games in 2021-22, coincided with a 25-8 record and NAIA National Championship appearance.
“That was a fun season,” she said.
Tolbert’s father, Dean, also was a college basketball player who helped inspire her passion at an early age. She had a sterling high school career and drew notice from many colleges.
She committed to IU East because she felt comfortable being at a small school.
“I liked the family feel of campus and the team, I wanted to keep the same as I had in high school.”
The close-knit campus allowed her to interact well with faculty, coaches and staff.
“I made strong connections with professors,” she said.
Those connections proved valuable as she received guidance with her thesis: “The Factors That Affect Sports Performance in Elite Female Athletes.”
