'Teammates,' Governor-elect Maura Healey reflects on basketball, relationship with Kim Driscoll
BOSTON -- Long before she became the people's lawyer and the soon-to-be governor of Massachusetts, Maura Healey's first passion was basketball.
"It's my happy place," Governor-elect Healey said from Suffolk University's Smith Court in Boston.
She lit up while playing with her former teammates from the all-women's Kevin Honan Basketball League.
"They're my teammates, but they're my friends," Healey told WBZ-TV. "They've been with me through everything. I think having the chance to be around people who knew you long before anything is important to me. It's really grounding."
Like Charlie Baker, Healey played basketball at Harvard University. Her running mate, Kim Driscoll, was a guard for Salem State University -- a city she led as mayor for 17 years. So it's no coincidence the pair's inaugural theme is "Moving the Ball Forward" with a celebration at TD Garden, the home of the Boston Celtics.
"Are there certain things that you bring from that experience on the court that you think translate to your work on Beacon Hill too?" WBZ-TV's Tiffany Chan asked.
"Teamwork. I think Kim and I feel like actual teammates," she replied. "There is certainly a crossover when it comes to politics as well. Not being afraid. Being able to work, collaborate – teamwork."
Steps from her new office at the Statehouse to Suffolk University's Smith Court, WBZ-TV got the governor-elect and her former teammates together for one last shootaround before the historic inauguration.
"It's amazing… as a point guard on the court, she's the leader," said her teammate Liz Davies. "She's the floor leader. You always knew she had that leadership skill. To see her be the Governor of Massachusetts is amazing."
It's an incredible story of inspiration for those who know her personally. For the first time in Massachusetts history, two women will soon run the state.
"It's about time," said Lt. Governor-elect Kim Driscoll. "The future is female and being able to have more perspective at the table is going to make us a better Commonwealth."
"Not just Maura, but Kim is there second in charge," Davies told WBZ-TV. "We have come a long way."
Healey and Driscoll will be sworn-in on Thursday at the Statehouse in Boston at 11:30 a.m.