By Chris Cox
From the first time she stepped on a court, Quapaw senior Naomi Daugherty knew she was going to love basketball.
“I started playing as early as I could and love everything about it,” she says. “I love the adrenaline that comes with it and the fact that you have to work hard to be good at it. And I love that I can be physical and aggressive with it.”
Daugherty, who plays in the post for the Quapaw Wildcats, knows her physicality down low is a big advantage for her team.
“Not a lot of people are physical anymore,” she says. “That can make people mad. Then you’re in their head and that’s kind of fun. Being physical just gives you an advantage because people don’t want to play against you.”
Being a senior, Daugherty is trying to make sure that she and her teammates are taking full advantage of the season ahead of them and win as many games as possible.
“I think our team wants to win. All of us do,” she says. “This year, we want to win a tournament and we want to have a good record early on, so we don’t have work as hard at the end.”
Individually, Naomi has set a couple of goals, both of which she knows will help her team achieve those goals.
“Basketball-wise, I want to make sure I’m hitting my free throws and have a good free throw percentage,” she says. “I also want to make sure I’m always encouraging my teammates. That’s one way I know I can be leader. I want to make it fun for our team and make sure that I am leader on the floor and not just on the bench.”
While winning on the court is a goal for Daugherty, it’s not the only thing she wants people to remember her by.
“What I really want people to see is Jesus,” she says. “I want people to see my faith first and then say, ‘she was a friend’ and ‘she was a good athlete.’”
Along with basketball, Naomi is a member of the Quapaw softball and track teams, an officer in FAA and NHS, and a member of FCA. Following graduation, Daugherty plans on playing basketball in college. She currently holds five offers and is trying to decide where she wants to attend.
