Hilldale senior Nevaeh Johnson was a standout on the basketball court for the Lady Hornets the last two years. She averaged 14.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per game this past season and was named the team MVP. Nevaeh says she worked hard last summer to improve her game knowing she would be in a leadership role.
“I played summer ball and worked out a lot more last summer. I wanted my senior year to be really good and that just pushed me to play harder and more aggressively and become a little more vocal as a leader,” said Johnson who is also a member of the National Honor Society.
But this year she also became a Hometown Hero to little kids and teammates alike.
“This year I decided to coach a little league team with my friend Tori Brown,” said Johnson. “They’re called the Stingers and it’s made up of nine first and second graders. We were pretty nervous at first about coaching and we even had a typed-up schedule of all the drills we wanted to run and things to do like in our high school practices. But we quickly realized that we were going to have to start from scratch with these kids and teach them basic offense and defense. But in the end, it was a lot of fun and I think the kids appreciated it. I think it even helped remind me of basics during our high school season.”
As the season was winding down, Nevaeh also discovered the impact she had on her teammates.
“I was team captain this year but really didn’t realize what an impact I was making until our last game. At the end all the sophomores were crying, and I said, “but you’ve got two more years left’. And they said, “But you’re leaving, and we look up to you so much.’ That really meant a lot to me.”
Johnson said the highlight she’ll remember the most from her basketball days was scoring a career-high 31 points against Okmulgee this past season.
In addition to her regular schoolwork, Nevaeh also attended classes at Indian Capital Tech Center and obtained her CNA certification which she’ll probably put to use this summer.
Neveah’s college plans are uncertain at this time, but she says she would like to continue pursuing medical studies and one day become a traveling labor and delivery nurse.
