Although Denise School has been following the Lakers for several years, her fandom really escalated when she attended her first game last spring. Now she is a die-hard fan who especially admires Sasha for being a dedicated player and positive role model.

Her own passion for basketball – and helping others – even extends to her career goals; the college senior dreams of working for NBA Cares someday. In the meantime, Denise is busy attending the University of Redlands, conducting her Sasha Face Watch and avoiding all things green.

How long have you been a fan?

I started following the Lakers while I was in middle school, during the Kobe-Shaq era. After the Championship team was broken up, I did not really follow the Lakers as closely but still watched the playoff games. Shortly after Sasha entered the league, my brother pointed him out to me as a player to watch and so I have been following him for several years now.

It was not until I went to my very first Laker game (March 9, 2008 against the Sacramento Kings) that I would say I became a die-hard Lakers fan. Since it was the day after Sasha’s birthday, I had a friend help me make a giant happy birthday sign for Sasha and my brother, Victor, helped me sneak it into the Staples Center. Unfortunately, it didn’t make it on camera, but I did pull it out and cheer with it during parts of the game.

What was it about Sasha that first caught your attention?

Well, Sasha caught my attention because 1) he’s a Laker and 2) he’s easy on the eyes. Early on, he didn’t get much playing time so it was a special treat when I got to see him play. When I saw him last season with his long hair, I just about had a cow. It really took some time to get used to his new look.

What are some of your favorite things about Sasha?

Some of my favorite adjectives that are used to describe him are: feisty, passionate, hardworking and dedicated. I admire that he takes so much time to work on his game and gives over 100 percent each game to see that the team comes out with a win. It doesn’t matter whether he’s on the court or on the bench; he continues to be enthusiastic about the game.

Also, from reading reports and interviews, I can tell that he is a good person. I think that is tremendously important that he is a good person off the court rather than just a good player, especially for all the youth who view him as their role model.

Do you have a favorite Sasha moment or game?

It goes without saying that Sasha’s 20-point game against the Celtics in last year’s Finals is one of my all-time favorites.

My other favorite moment occurred while Sasha was on the bench. I thought it was hilarious when Odom threw the ball to Sasha. Too bad he wasn’t in the game because I’m sure he would have nailed that three-point shot.

However, any time Sasha is in the game, I am happy. Although whenever he misses a shot, I swear my heart stops.

You’ve joined Sasha’s green boycott. How is that going?

I must say, it is rather difficult. Originally, I didn’t really think I would do it, but one day I decided that if Sasha and other fans were taking it seriously, then I would, too. I do not wear any green apparel and have tried not to include the color green in other things. For example, I got rid of my green highlighter for my reading assignments and I am using a purple highlighter now.

Tell us about your nickname for Sasha.

My brother and I sometimes call Sasha “Salsa” because there are some nights where he is so hot that he cannot seem to be stopped! We are both die-hard Laker fans and we text each other during the games (especially when one of us cannot watch a game). This nickname was actually created by my brother in a text message during one of our conversations. I know he hopes that the nickname will somehow catch on. However, we both still love calling him “The Machine.”

Here on the site we have a Headband Watch. You and your brother have a Face Watch?

My brother and I have the “drawing contact to the face watch.” Last season, we noticed that Sasha kept getting hit in the face due to his pesky defense. Starting this season, we wanted to keep count of how many times he would draw contact to the face; however, so far he’s been pretty good about not getting swung at. I would never want any damage to come to his face, but I loved getting fired up when I heard or saw that some other player was getting shutdown by Sasha’s defense and committing offensive fouls.

If you could say one thing to Sasha, what would it be?

I don’t think I could just say one thing to Sasha because honestly I would want to have a whole conversation (or several) with him. I am really interested in hearing what he has to say about everything and would love to hear it from him in person someday. However, for this interview’s sake I’ll end with, “Keep playing with heart because your heart will never let you down.”