Nicky Anosike had never heard of Girls Inc. before she saw their job posting for a new athletic director.

But the more the former Lady Vols basketball star learned about the national organization that has had a presence in the Tennessee Valley since 1976, the more Anosike felt drawn to Girls Inc.

"I realized that I needed a Girls Inc. when I was a little girl," Anosike said.

Anosike knew Girls Inc. was the right place for her to find her passion again after one conversation. Her twin boys are 2 years old now, and she was ready to get out of the house.

"It's not about the money for me," Anosike said. "It's about being able to reach out to girls that were like me when I was younger and extending the love and the care and pouring into these girls the way some a lot of people poured into me when I was younger. So this is my way to give back and to pay it forward."

Why Nicky Anosike got Tennessee softball involved in Girls Inc.

Anosike's first order of business as athletic director was taking over the softball program.

So she contacted Tennessee softball coach Karen Weekly, who jumped at the chance to help. Anosike, who won two national championships under the legendary Pat Summitt from 2004-08, said it warms her heart to see Weekly.

"I always say to her, I know Pat's not here, but thank you for taking me under your wing," Anosike said. "I know you have your own former players, but we need a home too. And she's kind of been that for those of us basketball players who are missing Pat and who see her as a familiar face."

Every Tuesday evening, Weekly's players show up to the Girls Inc. field in Oak Ridge in shifts to run clinics for elementary and middle school aged girls.

Junior outfielder Katie Taylor said the team made groups based on class times and schedules to make sure everyone had an opportunity to help. Each session includes a mix of drills for defense, hitting and fitness so they get a taste of the real aspects of the game.

"I enjoy it, every single second I'm here," Taylor said. "I learn from them and it's kind of a gateway away from everything else of college and our own responsibilities and everything like that. Just to see them smile and see them have a good day, that just brings us all together as a team, knowing that we can give back to girls that were once in our shoes."

Anosike's next challenge is reviving the basketball program, which is an uphill battle. The most important thing people can do to help is donate, Anosike said, because they need facilities to play in.

"If we can just get someone to take the leadership on a project like that, I mean, what we need is leaders in the community to step up and help these girls and help Girls Inc.," Anosike said.

Why the Girls Inc. mission aligns with Nicky Anosike

Alanna Kosier has been the director of capacity and development for Girls Inc. for 15 years. She knew the kind of person they wanted to be athletic director.

They wanted someone who understood they weren't going to get a MacBook or even a desk. They wanted someone who understood the job was going to be a challenge.

Anosike understands all of that and embraced the challenge, because the Girls Inc. mission is personal to her. The mission to "inspire all girls to be strong, smart and bold" aligns with everything about Anosike.

Perhaps most importantly, she understands the strength the girls she's serving have. Anosike needed the same strength to overcome what she did in her life. She grew up in poverty in a New York City housing project with seven siblings and a single mom. Now she's striving to be who she needed growing up.

She's also passionate about the Girls Inc. campaign Strong Women Strong Futures, which focuses on supporting and encouraging girls to pursue postsecondary education.

People joke with Anosike sometimes about how many degrees she has – she graduated with three degrees in four years when she played for the Lady Vols, returned for her master's degree and is now in the final year of her PhD in public policy with a focus on Title IX. She takes pride in her education and is an advocate for pursuing it.

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"We know the importance of a college education. It's economically the difference between continuing the path to poverty or being able to rise the middle class, upper middle class," Anosike said. "Education is really, really important for these girls ... for me, I would not have been able to go to college without an athletic scholarship. So that's what I'm trying to implement here, is to build the training and build these athletes so maybe they can go to college through an avenue like sports."

Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on Twitter @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why former Lady Vols star Nicky Anosike got involved with Girls Inc.