Shaimaa Yarrou is an 18-year-old from Astoria, Queens, and her daily routine is not exactly light. Nearly two hours of commuting. School. Practice. Repeat.
"It's like an hour, 45 minutes," she said, shrugging it off like that's just part of the deal.
Growing up in Queens, Shaimaa liked where she was from, especially as a kid. But once high school rolled around, she wanted something different. She ended up attending high school in Manhattan, which meant new surroundings, new people, and a little more independence earlier than most.
That idea of stepping outside her comfort zone shows up a lot when you talk to her. It also shows up in how she found basketball.
Shaimaa didn't grow up playing. No travel teams. No early AAU grind.
"I didn't grow up playing," she said. "I just started because I needed something to do, and then it turned into something I really cared about."
She didn't start taking basketball seriously until her sophomore year of high school. What began as something casual quickly became something she wanted to invest in.
"I enjoyed it a lot, and I wanted to take it more seriously," she said. "So I started working harder."
That work has paid off in more ways than one. On the court, she feels faster and more confident in her decision-making. Off the court, basketball helped her come out of her shell.
"I used to be really shy," she said. "Basketball helped me open up."
A big reason she stayed locked in was the relationship she built with her high school coach, someone she still keeps in touch with today. She credits him as a major influence, not just as a coach but as someone who genuinely believed in her.
When she's not in the gym, Shaimaa is pretty easygoing. She likes hanging out with friends, escape rooms, shopping, and just doing things that feel fun. She is also a fan of online shopping, which feels very on brand for an 18-year-old juggling everything else.
One thing that surprises people, though, is her creative side. Shaimaa paints using acrylic and watercolor, and it has become one of her favorite ways to unwind.
When things get stressful, art helps her reset. Music does too. She admits she is still figuring out what really helps her decompress after long days, but she knows her life cannot be only school and basketball.
On the court, the biggest challenge this season has been mental. "Confidence," she said. "Basketball is way more mental than people think."
