Stephanie Sosebee, a 2006 graduate of Dawson County High School, recently tried out and made a local pro basketball team called the Conyers Rockets.

"This is my first year playing for them," she said. "But during tryouts I got to meet some of the returnees and they were really nice and we played well together. Our practices will pick up this month and our season starts May-July with an opening scrimmage game in April."

The team will play against other programs in South Carolina, Alabama, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee in the Women's Blue Chip Basketball League (WBCBL).

"The national championship and tournament is played in Texas I do know that the Conyers Rockets made it to the national tournament last year, but lost in the first round," she said.

The University of North Georgia graduate is an accountant for a large real estate company in Dunwoody and is the assistant basketball coach for Pace Academy.

She also played basketball at the collegiate level at Point University before transferring to North Georgia.

"It was great, you meet new people who become family," Sosesbee said about her collegiate basketball career. "You get to travel all over, you get a ton of free gear. It was a lot of hard work, but I would do it all over again. I am actually going to two college teammates' weddings this year."

Sosebee comes from a family of athletes. Her dad played football and her twin brother played college football at Middle Tennesse and Waldorf College.

Her oldest brother played baseball for Truett-McConnell.

She said she misses Dawsonville and tries to visit regularly as all of her family and high school friends still live here.

The 5' 11" guard and post player had Division 1 offers for basketball and track, but chose Point where she won NCCAA Player Athlete of the Week as a freshman and again as a sophomore.

Knee surgery ended her collegiate basketball career, but didn't stop her from pursuing what she really loved-numbers.

"I decided on accounting because I love math, numbers and money," she said. "I have loved it ever since."

Thankfully, she is still able to continue her passion for basketball through coaching and now as a professional player.

"Coaching is great, it's girls' basketball," she said.

Sosebee has coached since she was 18 years old, beginning with the 12 and under all-star girls basketball team at Dawson County Park and Recreation. That team went all the way to the state championship.

"We won region and then lost in the state championship game by 1 point," she said.

She also coaches Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball for Peak Performance and is in her second year at Pace.

"This is my second year at Pace Academy and I love it," she said. "We have gotten a lot of recognition lately and spotlight because we have the No. 3 ESPN nationally-ranked player Wendell Carter who signed with Duke on our boys' team."

Sosebee's own players were pleased to hear about their coach's upcoming pro career.

"They were all super excited for me and want to come watch me play," she said. "Occasionally Coach Baker, our head coach at Pace, he lets me join in the practices with them to scrimmage and that is always fun. They always tell me to take it easy on them."

She said she would eventually love to coach at the collegiate level and she can't imagine being away from the game anytime soon.

"Basketball wise, I love the game too much," she said. "I don't ever think I could hang the shoes up-not just yet at least. I feel like I am at the best level I have ever been at in basketball before."

Sosebee's and the Rockets' first game is May 13 against Georgia Soul in Atlanta.