Long before Teresa Resch became Vice President, Basketball Operations and Player Development for the Toronto Raptors the Lakefield, Minn. native was leading the 2003 Augustana volleyball team to a 22-8 record and an undefeated home record. 

Resch was an all-North Central Conference (NCC) volleyball player that help lead the Vikings to an NCAA tournament appearance her senior year. Augustana defeated No. 15 Minnesota State in the first round before ending their season against No. 13 Concordia St. Paul the next round, 3-2.

Her senior year she played in all 30 matches with 2.84 kills a game for a hitting percentage of .313. She was also second on the team in blocks with 108 total. 

After graduating in 2004 with a Business communication and journalism major and following internships with the Augustana Sports Information Department and the NCC, Resch attended graduate school at St. Thomas University in Miami, Florida. While in Miami, she worked during the day and took classes in the evening.

"I chose south Florida for grad school because I knew in order to work in the sports industry I'd need to be in an area where there were tons of sports," Resch said. "South Florida proved to be a real learning laboratory for me."

While in Miami, Resch volunteered and completed internships for the University of Miami's Athletic Marketing and Community Relations Department; the Orange Bowl Committee, Collegiate Images, and the Miami Heat. Her break came when she was working for Disney World Sports, and the NBA draft combine was held at the Orlando arena called the Milk House.

It was at the NBA draft combine that she impressed several NBA people and would later accept a job in the NBA League Offices. She worked for the NBA from 2007 to 2011, with an emphasis on the "Basketball Without Borders'' program.

From there she returned back home to Minnesota in 2011 to work with Ultimate Hoops at Life Time Fitness as a senior operations manager. She was able to work aside John Thomas a longtime international and NBA player who lead the training for Ultimate Hoops.

From her days in Florida, Resch had impressed Masai Ujiri who has just been hired as the executive vice president and general manager of the Toronto Raptors in 2013. Shortly after he placed a call to the former standout middle hitter for the Vikings asking if she was interested in becoming a part of the basketball operations staff. 

It took a pretty special opportunity for Resch to leave her home state and a job that she thoroughly enjoyed at Life Time Fitness but it was an opportunity she couldn't pass up.

By May 2017, Ujiri was team president, General Manager Jeff Weltman was leaving for the Orlando Magic and changes in the front office led to Resch being named vice president for basketball operations and player development.

"The job has evolved in six years," Resch said. "It's tricky to describe it. I'm a generalist -- a person who does more than one things, several things for a business and for an organization. My job is to try to ensure that everybody that touches the Toronto Raptors can compete in a championship atmosphere and at a championship level." 

Resch was one of the first women to be hired to the Raptors and since then 11 other women have a job either with the Raptors or their G-League affiliate the Raptors 905. She proud of being able to be apart of a new change in the NBA.

"We have a long way to go, we shouldn't be celebrating that 11 people out of 70 or so are women in an organization," Resch said. "It is awesome to see and be apart of. It has changed a lot since I started not only with the Raptors but with the whole NBA.

"We are moving in the right direction and give the league credit for realizing that it is a priority. The need for diversity and inclusion at all levels. It's great to have a leader that realizes that as well and when your leader understands that change happens. I am excited to see what the future holds."

Although Resch has been all over the place for work she still remembers her roots.

"I often get asked where I'm from and where I played college basketball and I tell them I am from Minnesota and played volleyball at Augustana in college," Resch laughed. "Almost everyone goes 'where is that? I have never heard of it.' It's funny to see people's responses."

In the end, Resch credits Augustana for getting her where she is today and she said she wouldn't be where she is without Augie. 

"Augustana is not a hotbed for NBA executives by any means but it's a huge part of who I am. I am able to bring a different perspective and a lot that come from being from a place that not a lot of people have been to or went," Resch said. "It gave me the experience of a being and competing at a top-level division II program. It also has a lot to do with the Midwest and small towns and relationship building - that's something that Augie taught me was how to build relationships with people."

As she looks ahead, Resch is building off this past season and is excited to see what the future holds.