For any athlete the day must come when they have to hang up their shoes and say good-bye to the game they love, and for senior basketball players, Jess Reece and O’Neisha Smith, that day came March 11th as the Lady Bisons ended their season in the first round of the Atlantic Sun tournament.
Reece and Smith have had two different experiences during their time at Lipscomb. Reece finished her last minutes on the court, but due to double knee surgeries Smith was unable to play her senior year.
Stepping back and reflecting on their four years as student athletes, they say they have learned a lot and made a lot of memories along the way.
“One thing I will take from playing college basketball would be the importance of being positive and always working hard no matter what struggles you may encounter,” Reece said. “I think God made me realize that although I do love the game, it is just that, a game. He brought me to a place where I can glorify him through playing.”
Both Reece and Smith traveled out of their home states to go to college. Being away from their hometown family and friends, they quickly learned to bond with teammates.
“As far as memories go, I have too many to count. Most of them are not from games though, but rather bus rides and traveling and hanging out with my teammates,” Reece said. “I’ve made some amazing friends through playing and have met some great people.”
“My favorite memory was freshman year when we traveled to Colorado to play Air Force,” Smith said. “We had to adapt to the change in altitude.”
For Smith, coming from Georgia and leaving her family was also one of the biggest challenges she had to overcome.
“My freshman year was the hardest because this was going to be the first time being away from my family for a long period of time. I have now matured and have become more defined,” Smith said. “I feel that going out of state has made me much more independent in many ways.”
Just like Reece, Smith says she has grown as a person from her four years on the court.
“The one thing that I will take from playing at Lipscomb is that I have been able to handle adversity and dignity,” Smith said. “I have matured and gained the ability to immediately refocus on what needs to be done to meet the next obstacle.”
The next big moment for these seniors will be as they walk across the stage in the spring and receive their degrees. Their journey as an athlete has come to an end, and it will only be a few short weeks until they start another chapter in their lives.