(Editor's note: UCLA's Maylana Martin, a senior forward, will share a weekly diary with ESPN.com throughout the season. For more information on the Bruins, visit UCLA's official athletic site.)

Dec. 28, 1999

Before the season started, a lot of people asked me about the WNBA Draft. I try not to think about it. It seems like a lifetime from now and I still have so much to do between now and then. And if I start to focus on myself, then our team is going to suffer and my play will suffer as well.

	Martin

Still, when you see WNBA coaches at practice or sitting in the stands at games, it's tough to ignore. Instead, I just try to focus on our team and our goals for the season. For now, I'm going to try and make UCLA the best team that I can, then after the season I'll worry about the WNBA and start thinking of where I'd like to play.

As far as where I'm at right now with this season, I think I need to improve my outside shot and my physical strength for our team to go to the next level. My shot hasn't been falling this year. I had a pretty good outside shooting game against Tennessee, but for the most part it has been inconsistent.

Part of the reason might have to do with my back surgery and headaches. Instead of using the spring to bulk up a little bit, I was in bed recovering from the surgery. And right now it's hard to gain strength because you really can't do that until the spring. Working out that hard during the season will only make me tired.

So right now I have to just concentrate on outsmarting people and getting good positioning on the boards. I think that what I lack in strength, I can make up for in intensity and desire. And overall, I am pleased at how I'm playing so far.

It's kind of hard to get used to a new point guard. Playing with freshman Nicole Kaczmarski is a little bit different than playing with senior Erica Gomez. Erica and I kind of knew what to expect from each other, but it's taken a little while to know what to expect from Nicole and how to anticipate where she is going to go and what she's going to do. But now that we have a couple of games under our belt, we're starting to adjust well.

I know there is going to be a time when I won't be playing basketball anymore. That can be tomorrow or it could five years from now or even ten years from now. I want to play in the WNBA, but after that I'd like to get my master's degree, hopefully from UCLA's Anderson Business School. I'd like to stay within the sport if I can. I was thinking about trying to get a job with USA Basketball or a job in a management role in the WNBA. And those are things I can do while I'm still playing through internships. I definitely want to have a family, too, but that's something that I'm not really focusing on right now.