The Chattanooga women's basketball summer series: "Take Five" will introduce fans to the 2019-20 roster.
 
The Mocs have a Kiwi on the roster. Pare Pene traveled all the way from New Zealand to get a taste of NCAA basketball in the United States. One thing she had to get used to was the flip flop of seasons. As someone from the Southern Hemisphere, her summers are our winters in the U.S.
 
"It takes some getting used to," she said. "I'm pretty sad about missing out on summer in New Zealand because of all the beaches and lakes that I could have gone to. Our winters are not too cold, however, compared to here."
 
When she does get home, her flight home is broken up into three legs with a pair of manageable 2-3 hours flights along with a monster 15 hours from Dallas to Sydney in the middle. She's had time to explore her new home. When she doesn't go to a teammate's house during a break, she just stays "in the apartment and chill or walk around town."
 
She went sky diving on her 18^th birthday and ate jellyfish (before becoming vegan) on a trip to China. She played for her national team during high school and the biggest change for her on the court is the difference between NCAA rules and international rules as it pertains to "travelling".
 
"We have a rule that's a controlled step," Pare said. "If you caught the ball on one foot, you can take two steps while you're on the move. Over here I keep getting called for traveling. I've been trying to get used to that. The other thing is the shot clock."
 
The shot clock for international play is 24 seconds, a full six seconds shorter than in the NCAA.
 
Take Five with Pare
Q: Hawaii or Alaska for vacation?
A: Hawaii
 
Q: How many pillows do you sleep with?
A: I have three on my bed, but I sleep with one.
 
Q: Would you rather go into the past to meet your ancestors or go into the future to meet your great great grandchildren?
A: Go into the past.
 
Q: Would you rather have the ability to talk to the animals or speak all foreign languages?
A: Talk to the animals. I want to know what they're thinking.
 
Q: Who is the funniest person on the team?
A: It's either Kallie or Morgan.