her young son Adam, that she would ever get to like the game. But as the weeks turned into months and then into years, she suddenly realised that she not only liked it, but was hooked.

So much so, that Mrs. Barboza has just returned from an NBA (National Basketball Association) exhibition game in North Carolina, where she was photographed with her idol, Mark Price, star player for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

And (although she was unaware of the fact at the time) Mrs. Barboza witnessed a piece of sports history when she saw Earvin (Magic) Johnson playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. It was after this game that the HIV-infected basketball star announced that due to fears expressed by fellow players, he was abandoning his comeback in the tough, contact sport.

It was a long road to the University of North Carolina where Mrs. Barboza experienced her "dream come true'', for her attraction to the sport was a gradual one, as was her increasing interest in the Cleveland team and, in particular, young Mark Price, who in 1989 was to join the immortals, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson in becoming one of only three players in history to shoot better than 90 percent from the line and 50 percent from the floor in a single session.

Perhaps it was his "frailty'' that first appealed to Mrs. Barboza -- for at 6ft. one inch, and 175 pounds, he is considered small among the other stars of the NBA, where a height of seven feet is not unusual.

Mrs. Barboza's venture into the world of big-time basketball began by accident, when she was on a shopping trip with friends in Raleigh, North Carolina. "As usual, I went into a store there and asked if they had any cards or mementos on the Cleveland Cavaliers and they told me that in a couple of weeks I could actually see them playing, as they were slated to appear at the university in an exhibition game. I was so surprised! And then my friends started telling me I should go. And in the end, I did!'' Off she went, all alone, on Hallowe'en weekend, for her basketball rendezvous.

"The whole thing was really exciting. Chapel Hill is full of students and I got talking to them and they said if I got there early, I'd be able to get a good seat and pictures of the players.'' But Mrs. Barboza, an accomplished photographer who exhibits regularly with the Society of Arts, was initially disappointed when she took her place (early) right on the floor, behind the basket. For there was a huge sign that read "No Cameras''.

"At first, I felt a bit of a fool amongst all the fathers and sons, but everyone was so friendly and before I knew what was happening, I was telling everybody all about Bermuda.'' Her charm obviously worked on one of the ushers who, on being given Mrs.

Barboza's Bermuda visor cap, told her to go down on the floor where the players were just ending their practice session, and take her pictures.

It was there that she had her photograph taken with Mark Price. "Cleveland won, but I think I was the only one cheering them on. Everyone in that 20,000 crowd had come to see Magic Johnson. He got a standing ovation when he came on and he was presented with a blue and white basketball.'' Mrs. Barboza recalls that it was during that game that he received a slight injury that drew blood and had to be bandaged: "He looked very fit and healthy but didn't really play well that night. What impressed me was the hundreds of little kids who waited hours to greet him!'' Mrs. Barboza, who says that people in North Carolina were intrigued to hear that she had travelled all the way from Bermuda to see her first live game, admits that she felt a bit like Johnny Appleseed -- "we plant a little seed for Bermuda wherever we go. I believe the very best advertisement we have is the person who goes away and tells everyone about the Island and encourages them to come here. I even told everyone about the special American Airlines fare!'' Admitting that some of her friends tease her about her basketball obsession, Mrs. Barboza is unrepentant. "Basketball's a great game! Even when you watch it on TV it's a great reliever of stress -- but of course, you can't compare TV with the real thing, the wonderful atmosphere of a live game.'' But Mrs. Barboza, who came to Bermuda from the US 32 years ago, and who saw her son Adam become one of Bermuda's best-known sailors and an Olympic contender, is also a woman of many talents.

Her first attempt at writing, a story about the Queen of Bermuda, won her first prize in The Royal Gazette's annual Christmas Story Contest in 1965 and she has entered a piece every year since, winning first prize on three more occasions.

She was also a big winner in The Royal Gazette's Coin Word contest a few years ago and she has won the ZBM Treasure Hunt four times. And on the artistic front, she is also a watercolourist whose work has been chosen by The Committee of 25 for their annual Christmas cards.

Basketball, much as she loves the drama and excitement of the game, is just part of a life that exudes enthusiasm. "I guess I just love to get involved in things,'' she says.

A DREAM COME TRUE -- Mrs. Pat Barboza meets her basketball idol, Mark Price of the Cleveland Cavaliers during a recent trip to watch an NBA exhibition game in North Carolina. The local artist says she's now hooked on the sport -- `watching it helps relieve stress'.

MAGIC JOHNSON -- Mrs. Barboza watched what might prove to be his final game of basketball.