Mone Izumi: Breaking Barriers On and Off the Court

MEET Mone Izumi ‘23

A rising senior at Goldey-Beacom College, Mone Izumi has been playing basketball since she was 10 years old. Joining the College from Higashiku, Japan, she initially attended Arizona Western College until she began to share her highlight video with agents with the hope of making a jump to a D2 school.

One of her emails reached the GBC Women’s Basketball Head Coach Bethann Burke. Izumi had an exciting conversation with Coach Burke who explained the program, the family environment and team spirit. She soon realized how much Coach Burke cared about each team member, and when she received the offer, it was an easy decision – Izumi transferred and joined the Women’s Basketball team.

In the past, Izumi often faced obstacles. “I never got playing time in Japan because of my height,” she said. She spoke of the first time she joined a basketball team saying, “No one passed the ball to me because they thought I couldn’t play. But that only made me stronger and tougher.”

International students often endure other scrutiny, hatred and racism, and Izumi is no exception. In Japan, she was told she was too small. When she arrived in the U.S., she endured racial issues and a language barrier. “When I first got here, I only knew: hello, thank you and sorry,” she said.

Finishing her first year at GBC, Izumi says being at a 4-year, D2 college has been a new and positive experience, much different than her former community college on the West Coast.

Standing with a 5 foot, 3 inch frame and armed with an outgoing personality, she has debunked the myth that Asian people can’t play basketball. “I’m Japanese and people say I’m too small to play basketball,” said Izumi. “My dream is to prove that I can play basketball. I want to inspire small kids, Asians and female athletes. That’s my goal.”

Izumi currently works as a student library worker at the College. While she is gaining work experience, she hopes to reach out to local Japanese companies in Delaware for employment. She also wants to become a professional basketball player in Europe. With many European students on campus, she’s not shy about sharing her dreams and asking them questions about how to become a professional player in Europe.

She’s grateful for the collegiate and sports opportunities in the U.S. “Not everyone can have this experience to play basketball at a college in the U.S.,” she said. “I think this experience is precious. Also, I try to not speak Japanese because I want to learn English more.”

Izumi isn’t a party girl. Some of her favorite times on campus have been spent cooking with her friends in their dorms and watching movies. She attributes the small college atmosphere to having close relationships with friends. She says the short distance across campus makes it easier to go to class, the gym – everywhere!

It’s no secret that Izumi doesn’t like to study, but she really enjoys being in class and appreciates that her professors are so willing to spend time with her to answer questions and make sure she understands the lessons.

“Assistant Professor of Business Dr. Scott Glenn delivered a moving speech during Black History Month,” said Izumi. She recalled his message and agreed saying, “Black history shouldn’t have happened. We need to move forward.” She added, “Love is everything. If you love a person, it doesn’t matter if they are Black, Asian, white, or Hispanic – love will beat anything. That was the best speech – it inspired me a lot.”

This article was previously featured in The Goldey-Beacom College Magazine