Cara Gavan may have only started cheering for Sasha Vujacic during his breakout year, but unlike Sasha’s bandwagon fans, she maintained her unwavering support for her favorite LA Lakers player even during the recently-concluded season when Sasha’s shooting was said to be off. Cara tells us about her newfound passion for Sasha and the Lake Show — all the way from San Francisco.

How long have you been a fan?

In Spring 2008, a young Lakers sharpshooter who was part defender and part cheerleader caught my eye. I remember the instant it happened. I was in Seattle on business watching the game with clients. This guy with long black locks was having a blowout game. His smile lit up the arena and his enthusiasm was infectious. Over the course of the series, I watched the Lakers more than ever, absorbing everything I could. When they lost in Game 6, I was crushed. So between my instant gravitation to Sasha’s intensity, fire for the game and genuine likeability, a new Laker fan was born!

What was it about Sasha that first caught your attention?

On court he is easy to spot with his speed and ability to chase his opponent ‘Front, Back, Side to Side’. Add to that the hair, smile and overall devastatingly good looks – he’s quite memorable. His cheerleading is infectious, even when he hurt his back and cheered from the floor. Endearing.

What are some of your favorite things about Sasha?

What I like most about Sasha is his innocence, an almost childlike reverence for the game and his loyalty to his teammates. Off the court he has impeccable manners, is truly interested in his fans and is basically a genuinely nice person.

The other thing I really like about Sasha is all the friends I have made in the past year because of him. We started out talking about Sasha online, then talking about our lives and ourselves online, then meeting in person! Most live in LA. I live in the San Francisco area. We would never have met if not for Sasha as our launching off point. We’ve gone to a game as a group, had a party to watch Game 4 of the Championships and even celebrated one child’s birthday together.

Do you have a favorite Sasha moment or game?

Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, my local team is the Golden State Warriors. Thanks for sending us Ronny by the way! While it is a bummer to see them beaten, if it is by the Lakers, particularly by Sasha, it is OK. We saw both games when the Lakers were in town. But my favorite moment was the game in LA on Dec 28th where Sasha had an outstanding performance – 17 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds and 1 steal. He was on FIRE! Great, great, great to see!!

Do you have any game watching rituals?

Of course! Stand until the first field goal, wear Laker gear, wave flags & sticks. The best, however, is the Laker gnome named Vladi that belongs to Martha, one of the group of friends – she lights a candle for it and he, Vladi, watches the game to bring good luck to the Lakers.

You mentioned that you became Sasha’s fan during his blowout game from the 2007-2008 season, how do you feel now about Sasha’s performance during the 2008-2009 season which is oft-criticized?

Based on points per game, it wasn’t very good. However, his defensive skills improved and he was a solid team member and cheerleader as always. There was a constellation of things that seemingly “conspired” to work against him. He began the season injured, missing all of pre-season, while other minor injuries plagued him on and off the rest of the season. Coach Phil Jackson asked him to play a very different role on the team that was 180 degrees from the role he was used to and successful at previously. And the total minutes were reduced. Thus the shooting wasn’t there. Sasha stated right before the season began that his personal goal was to be the best 3-point shooter in the NBA. A far cry for what he was asked to do. To make the switch, Sasha worked harder than ever and, in some people’s minds, overworked physically and in most people’s minds overcompensated mentally. Jackson even said they tried to slow him down after last year and that they think they slowed him down too much – he was thinking too much and a shooter can’t do that.

All in all, I think it comes down to expectations. The fans and media expected Sasha to be a 3-point shooter this year. Coach Jackson had a very different expectation. If you grade someone on something they were not trying to achieve, the result will not be favorable. Given the real expectations, it seems Sasha was a contributor this year and, as always, a good team player sacrificing his goals for the good of the team. Yeah his shot was off but that wasn’t his primary goal. All in all, I’d say his “off year” was decent.

On a lighter note, what do you think is the best alternate career for Sasha?

Well, I think Sasha belongs in, was born for, basketball. But I can think of a few jobs quickly such as actor, model, spokesperson for travel and language-related things like the Rosetta Stone or a global travel company, photographer. But to really determine what alternate career would be fitting, it is crucial to know the key attributes Sasha can bring to the table.

Sasha is charismatic, charming, genuine, strong in language skills, eager to learn, dedicated and hard working and, oh yeah, not bad too look at.

My favorite of the “off the cuffs” jobs is photographer. It would combine his very strong people and language skills with a talent I think is easily overlooked – his technical precision and perfectionism. He could snap perfect shots of scenic locales or beautiful models, while putting everyone at ease with his easygoing nature and conversing in the native language.

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

“Enjoy life – it is too short and you have to capitalize on every moment.” Sasha works so hard and it just paid off with winning the Championship. But I would want him to have a bit more balance in his life and not miss out on the “now” hoping to recapture those moments in the “future” since that is rarely the case.