Screams of the crowd echo off the gym walls. The basketball slams against the floor, becoming a droning beat spurring them on. As seconds tick by, the squeaking of shoes rises above all else. The ball finds her hands once more. She takes her chance and sprints across the court. With one steadying breath, she plants her feet and lets the ball soar through still air. The net swishes and the gym explodes. Ca’Nia Mitchell embraces her teammates, game decided.
As the girl’s basketball season ends, the team and every supporter look back on the leadership Ca’Nia Mitchell provided over the four-month span. With a remarkable record of 30-6, this strong and talented captain is the key to each hard won success.
“She’s the type of kid that understands that if she scores 22 and we win, that’s what we needed to win,” Head Coach Jeff Williams said. “If she has five or six points but she has 10 assists and that’s how we win, she is willing to do those things.”
As one of three team captains, Mitchell shoulders many tough responsibilities, setting examples both on and off the court. Over the span of 36 games she has averaged 12.1 points per game, shooting 65.1% efficiency, and has accumulated a total of 435 points. In many games, she hardly touches the bench, supporting her teammates on the floor with an average of 5.4 assists and 2.9 steals.
“In essence she followed good leaders and developed into a very good leader herself, and she’s been that for us all year long,” Jeff Williams said.
Mitchell began the sport at three years old, influenced by her older brother and father, finding her love for it throughout the years that followed. She joined varsity in her sophomore year, and under the guidance of older teammates like Jada Graves, Victoria Barrera and McKenzie Smith, she has started almost every game for the past two years. Alongside her fellow seniors, she led the Lady Sandies to 14 district wins this year, most notably against rivals Tascosa and Lubbock Monterey. After cementing themselves as district and area champs, the team fell in the regional semifinals to Denton Ryan’s Lady Raiders, where Mitchell left her all on the court until the very last buzzer.
“She understands that I love her first and there’s things that I expect from her, but I hold her accountable and she allows me to do that and help her develop into, really, one of the best point guards I’ve ever had,” Jeff Williams said.
As her last season with Lady Sandies Basketball comes to a stop, questions appear surrounding her next steps. With almost 15 years dedicated to this sport, the court is well worn and well loved, and Mitchell does not plan to leave anytime soon. Although her future does not yet seem clear, she uses this postseason time to reflect and improve, as well as wrap up and say a final goodbye to her high school career and the family she found in the team.
“I’m just sad it’s coming to an end,” Mitchell said.
