When she was younger, Liberty County senior center Tia Fleming really didn’t understand the game in which she would grow to excel. However, all of that changed when her family moved to the Georgia coast in Liberty County from tropical Hawaii. An encouraging talk with her uncle, Jessie Fleming, introduced her to the game she loves today.
“One person that has been a major influence on my life was my Uncle Jessie,” Tia says. “He talked me into playing basketball. I started in fourth grade, playing for LCRD. I’ve been playing basketball for nine years now, 10 counting my senior year. Also, I’ve played five years of traveling ball; two for the South Georgia Queens (coached by my uncle) and three years with the Celtics.”
A good athlete, Tia was finding life on the court, but she wanted to be a more complete player. Understanding that, the next step after recreation and AAU basketball would be playing for a school team.
“When I realized that I could excel in this game, I was in seventh grade,” she says. “I tried out for the team for Snelson Golden Middle School. My coach was Mrs. Orgoman, one of the toughest coaches I have ever played for. She told me she had faith in me and that I have to keep pushing myself if I want to make play in college. That’s when it hit me that I was going to take this game seriously.”
Suddenly, Tia started to enhance her basketball IQ. It wasn’t enough just to practice with her middle school team and play games; she started to learn nuances of the game, studying the little things that great players do (for example, why you never open up to the ball with your back to the basketball and the reason that you chin the ball when you are on the block posting up).
“I started being a student of the game,” she says. “I started watching the older girls at Liberty County High School practice and play. I would go to the gym and play ball with the older and bigger boys to get tougher, work out with my uncle on my ball handling skills and shooting, and I would just watch everyone around me when they play basketball.”
Tia’s favorite aspects of the game are scoring and the teamwork that drives her teammates to play hard and to leave it all on the court, sweat and tears included. Even with a 2-4 start in her final season with the Liberty County High School Lady Panthers, Tia remains confident that she can be a catalyst to lead the team to a solid second half of the season, hopefully setting up better possibilities in the postseason.
“My season is going well; I’m really happy with my team,” she says. “We might be young, but they have basketball IQ, and they work hard. They want it just like I do. In the second half of this season I just want to be a leader and lead my team to the state finals; I fully believe we can do that.”
Averaging 12.8 points per game during the first half of the season, along with 9.5 rebounds, Tia is one of the key parts of the Lady Panthers’ offense. Liberty County Lady Panthers head coach Carolyn Kelly says that Tia is one of the best post players in the region, but her versatility makes her one of the best all-around players.
“Tia is very strong on the boards,” Coach Kelly says. “She does a great job around the basket, especially on a drop step move. However, she is not limited to around the basket; she can hit jump shots from the floor, including from the perimeter.”
Tia admits most of her scoring comes from the post, but she is also quick to tell you that she will not hesitate to shoot from the outside. Cast as a power forward, she also can play center. And because she has developed fundamentally sound ball handling skills, she could fill in at point guard in a pinch.
She is starting to see all of the hard work pay off, as a few colleges are courting her. While she has her schools of choice, she would be happy just to have the opportunity to play at the next level because it may give her the opportunity to pursue basketball as a profession. If a longer basketball career isn’t meant to be, she hopes to become a registered nurse. Her favorite class at Liberty County High School is math, and her favorite teacher is Dr. Shields.
“My biggest fans are my mother, father, and grandmother,” she says. “They come to all of my games. They are my biggest supporters; they know when I’m having a bad game or when it’s an off day. But after the games, they always tell me ‘good game’, and they always told me to keep my head held high and to never let my opponents see me discouraged. My coaches are hard workers; they have a passion for this game just like the rest of the team. They always say that you can’t teach heart when you’re playing this game, and that’s why I appreciate them a lot.”
Because of her friendly and driven nature, Tia tries to be a strong teammate, especially with the younger players.
“For the younger player who wants to excel, all I can say is keep working towards your dreams,” she says. “If you want it, go get it, and don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t do something. You can show doubters better than you can tell them, because actions speak louder than words.”
Sidebar:
“My teammates mean a lot to me; they are my sisters,” Tia says. “We are a family; we support each other through everything. We all work hard; if one of us is slacking, we have to push each other because we’re a team. I just want to tell all of my teammates that when I leave, I will never forget them because we went down this road together. I want all of them to give it everything they’ve got next year, no matter what. This is a sisterhood and we fight together.”
SE-PS-1.16-Fleming
Fleming Spreads the Floor in her Senior Season
By John Wood
