It's hard to see it behind her meek smile.
Or maybe it's her small 5-foot-7 frame that keeps you from catching a glimpse.
It could be her quiet, shy demeanor that makes you wonder if she's capable of more than a five-minute chat.
Perhaps it's the fact that there's not much of a strut or a presence that overwhelms you.
You don't see Sha Brooks and think "star athlete." Even after talking to her, you still don't see it. All-Southeastern Conference from this girl? Really?
You have to wait to see that until she plays. Then you're convinced. And it has been a very convincing four years in Gainesville for Brooks.
You probably won't recognize her on Stadium Road or at The Hub. She's too quiet and small to draw attention.
When she puts on her sneakers and dons orange and blue, however, she becomes someone who will go down as one of the best players in UF history.
Brooks has her name all over the Gators record books, but other players have put up better numbers than she has. That's not why she should be listed among the "Gator Greats," as UF coach Amanda Butler calls them.
It's because she has gone through as much as one college athlete can.
She helped the Gators earn an NCAA Tournament berth her freshman year on a senior-laden team where she was the second-leading scorer, only to get blown out 83-59 in the first round by 11-seed New Mexico.
Then came a sophomore year where she played with a torn meniscus in her left knee on a team that was dreadful and got then-UF coach Carolyn Peck fired. But Brooks refused to shut it down on the minuscule, outside chance that the Gators get an NCAA Tournament berth by winning the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
"Even if I had to play on one leg, I was going to play on one leg. It's a mental thing," Brooks said. "If you don't think about it then it don't hurt."
Brooks entered her junior year with a new coach, a new system and expectations to be one of the best players in the SEC. There was improvement, sure, but Brooks had now spent three years in Gainesville with no NCAA Tournament wins and only three victories in the SEC tourney.
Now came the grand finale, her senior year.
Brooks deserves an encore for this season. The Gators are headed back to the NCAA Tournament on the shoulders of Brooks, and they may even have a shot at winning their first-ever SEC Tournament. She lit Tennessee up for 29 points in arguably the program's biggest win in three years.
"Her level of play just really elevates the bigger the game and the implications of the game," Butler said. "That's really special. She doesn't shy away from the pressure. She tightens up her laces and goes to another level.
"She's already led us to some things that have not happened here before. As many great teams as there's been here, there haven't been a ton that have had that top-four seed (in the SEC Tournament)."
That's a scary thought for the rest of the tournament field. Brooks plays better the bigger the game?
It's true. Twenty-five points in a 79-78 upset against No. 2 LSU her freshman year. Twenty-one against No. 21 Kentucky that same season.
"She's our little beast," senior forward Marshae Dotson said. "She doesn't take no crap."
Now the opportunity is here. This little beast could catapult herself to the top of the "Gator Greats" if she leads UF deep into March.
"It's players that understand how to compete and compete over a long period of time," said Tennessee coach Pat Summitt when asked what goes into making a player have an impact on her program. "When postseason comes, they're not going to give in to fatigue."
This is the team that could set the tone for a program. If they go deep into March after perhaps winning the SEC Tournament? There will be recruits hoping to talk to Butler and UF, not the other way around.
"Whether people think I'm a good point guard or one of the worst point guards ever, I just try to stay focused and stay composed," Brooks said.
Whatever she's doing, it has worked. Maybe better than any women's basketball player has ever done in Gainesville.
