She talks openly about the struggles that have confronted her. She has no reservations when revealing some of the haunting memories of her past.

At 16, Tiffany Thompson has already lived a life littered with perilous pitfalls, one right after another.

But her message is simple: “Don’t use your past or your problems as an excuse. Use that as motivation to fuel yourself to become something great.”

Before she even got her driver’s license, Thompson had to persevere through her parents’ rocky marriage, her mother’s rampant drug use and a brief stint in foster care — easily, more than any adolescent or teenager should have to go through.

Now, Thompson uses those demons from her past to propel her during her everyday life. The 5-foot-6 sophomore guard for Hulbert also has basketball to fall back on as a safe haven.

“I’m glad I have basketball,” Thompson said, “because otherwise, I don’t know where I’d be.”



Thompson’s childhood

Thompson was dealt a rough hand as a child, and she had to begin learning right from wrong at an extremely early age.

“Growing up, it was pretty rough,” Thompson said in an extended interview with the Tahlequah Daily Press. “My mom was never really there, and at first, I didn’t really know what I was going to do. ...I’ve just tried to become a better person, even though I’ve seen some bad things.”

Topping the list of trouble issues: her mother’s battle with drug abuse.

“She’s done pills and all kinds of stuff,” said Thompson, who requested that her mother’s name not be used.

Thompson also battled the constant bickering between her parents.

“My parents fought all the time,” she said. “They always argued, and it was just very dysfunctional.”

Eventually, Thompson’s parents separated.

But that was only the tip of the iceberg.

Years down the road, she and her four sisters — Jennifer, Jessica, Sarah and Hannah — were taken into DHS custody, where they lived with their grandparents for a brief stint.

That’s when Thompson, who was in fourth grade at the time, really began to notice a troubling trend.

“When you’re a little kid, you don’t think anything is wrong,” Thompson said. “But when I got a little older in grade school, we were taken away and living with our grandparents for a while. That’s when I realized: This is bad. That’s when I had to make a choice.”

She adopted the motto: “Do I go down that path? Or keep a straight head?”

“That’s when I decided I had to make the right choices,” she said.



Becoming a role model

For Thompson, growing up has been more of an independent process. She’s also adopted the periodic role of care-taker.

“We’ve always had to raise ourselves,” said Thompson, whose mom is currently going through the drug-rehab process. “If I wasn’t taking care of my mom, I was taking care of my two younger sisters. But I can’t let stuff like that affect my attitude; I can’t control that. We all try to keep level heads and know that God is with us.”

More so than anything, she tries to set a positive example for her younger siblings.

“I always tell my sisters that, ‘you can’t choose where you come from, you have to choose where you’re going,’” Thompson said. “I don’t want them to go down the wrong path. That’s one of the reasons I stay so focused: I have to set an example for them. If they see me doing bad, then they’ll think it’s OK.”

Sometimes she dreads going home. But the company of her sisters eases the discomfort.

“There are some days,” she said. “But as long as my sisters are there, I’m OK and I know it’ll be all right.”

The burden of leading her sisters through life weighs on Thompson at times. But she is able to keep her emotions in check — thanks, in large part, to basketball.

“Sometimes I try not to let it show,” she said, talking about revealing her emotions. “It does affect me, but I love basketball so much. I step on the court and everything goes away.”



Healing hoops

That passion for the hardwood is something Thompson holds sacred. When she’s playing basketball, her conscience is clear, and the domestic troubles melt away.

“I don’t play basketball to make my parents be good or be back together,” she said. “I play it for myself. That’s one of the only things I do for myself.”

From October to March, she pours her heart into Hulbert basketball.

“I don’t have anything on my mind besides helping my team and getting better,” she said.

The other six months of the year, Thompson occupies her time by playing basketball at Markoma Gym.

One person in particular has noticed Thompson’s commitment to basketball: Hulbert coach Alicia Zodrow. On more than one occasion, Zodrow has had to force Thompson to leave the gym.

“Before the games, when I let them go home, she stays in the gym and shoots almost right until game time,” Zodrow said. “I’ll tell her before every game, ‘hey, you’re going to have to go get you something to eat, leave or sit down.’

“All she wants to do is have a basketball in her hands just so she can shoot the basketball.”

In essence, the court is Thompson’s oasis: It’s her destination of choice, rather than some other scandalous hangouts.

“I think everyone needs to find that place [in their lives],” Thompson said. “Some kids might turn to drinking or partying. I want to go somewhere positive.”



Bright future

When Thompson’s high school career ends, she won’t be through with basketball. She plans to play in college before embarking on some sort of coaching excursion.

“I want to go play in college,” Thompson said. “Period. Then, I want to become a coach, so I can help kids and tell them: ‘When you’re here, everything goes away.’”

Beyond being a coach, Thompson also hopes to set up a foundation to provide guidance to those who have fought the same battles she’s gone through.

“I would really like that,” she said. “Some kids, they don’t know where to go. They don’t know what to do when they see problems like that. And if they don’t understand, I just want to help them.”

One thing Zodrow is sure of: She’s confident Thompson will lead a successful life as an adult.

“She’s got a great future ahead of her,” Zodrow said. “Hopefully in basketball. But if not, then she’s going to make a good life for herself.”