Regardless of the sport, the most successful teams share special characteristics and traits that separate them from their competition. Through countless hours of training, practice, and travel, players get to know one another on a personal level. In fact, it can be argued that the most successful teams are built away from the venue of competition. Over time, a team can become a second family. Coaches care for their players, and vice versa. Such is the case in Valdosta, Georgia.
Lowndes High School senior Diera DeLoatch has been a key component of the Vikettes’ basketball program since her arrival as a freshman in 2012. In her sophomore year, she was a major piece of a team that took home a region championship. For her efforts, she was named the team’s best rebounder, as well as earning a spot on the All-Region Second Team.
“I just love this game,” Diera says. “Everything about it. But most of all, I love the energy; the excitement. It’s such an uptempo game and it requires your best at all times.”
However, just a week before school tryouts in 2014, it would be that same intensity that would end up setting Diera’s high school career back beyond expectation.
“I was playing in an AAU exposure tournament,” she says. “I was on a fast break, and I attempted to finish with a layup on the left side (of the rim). When I came down, I landed with my right leg straight, and I heard a ‘pop’.”
As she went to the floor, her fears began to resonate in many voices in the crowd.
“There were a lot of (college) scouts at the tournament,” she says. “As soon as I went down, I could hear a lot of them saying that they knew exactly what it was.”
What it turned out to be was a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her right knee. From injury to full medical clearance to return, she would miss approximately eight months.
“I went through a lot to get back on the court,” Diera says. “After basically having to learn to bend my leg again, I was in rehab about three times a week. Eventually, I worked my way back into running, jumping, and working on quick movements; jabs and things like that.”
With such a debilitating injury, most players would feel discouraged and lack the enthusiasm to return at full strength. Diera is an exception; from the moment her injury was diagnosed, her mind was focused on returning to the court. And while her own determination was more than enough to get her back to action, she would receive additional support from an unlikely source a mere days after her injury.
Senior forward Faith Starling is also a huge cornerstone of the Vikettes’ basketball program. Suiting up as a forward, she provides an irreplaceable fire for the team that is hard to replace.
“I live for the rush,” Faith says. “I love adversity. Clutch moments; sinking that game-clinching free throw or making that key stop…those are the types of moments that make me love this game
However, the team’s morale would once again be put to the test early in the 2014-15 season. In their annual Thanksgiving tournament, Faith felt as if something was out of place. Her usual high level of energy was severely diminished, and she could barely sprint up and down the court.
“It felt like I had the flu, to be honest,” she says. “I was just really sluggish. I pushed as hard as I could, but I just didn’t feel like myself.”
That night, she decided that perhaps she just needed rest. But in the middle of the night, Faith was awakened to a terrifying dilemma.
“Sharp pains,” she says. “It was probably the worst pain I had ever felt in my life. Honestly, it felt like somebody was stabbing me in the right side of my chest. I could barely move.”
After being rushed to the hospital and taken through a series of tests and scans, it was discovered that Faith was suffering from a pulmonary embolism, or a blockage in the main artery of her right lung. Expectedly, she was immediately sidelined from all physical activity, especially basketball.
“I was told that for that first six weeks, I needed to refrain from everything,” she says. “Eat, walk, and sleep; that was about all I could do.”
Faith was cleared to return to all activities in May of 2015, but even before she was fully cleared, she did everything she could to stay involved in the game that she loves.
“The doctors told me early on that I couldn’t make full contact or exert myself too much,” she says. “So, at the early practices, I would work on set shots. I was averaging about 500 set shots per practice until they fully cleared me.”
The girls also received a great deal of support from their teammates and coaches. Lowndes head coach Brittany Bell made it a point to include the girls in everything she could; she made sure they traveled to games and suited up, even though they would not set foot on the floor for game action.
“Diera and Faith are just as important to this team as everyone else,” Coach Bell says. “I wanted to make sure that they knew that. They love this game, and the season wouldn’t have been the same without them. They worked hard to make the team, so we wanted to make sure that their hard work was recognized.”
While both girls had ample support from the team, coaching staff, and community, they would come to find that their strongest support came from each other. As the season progressed, Faith and Diera would continue to suit up for every game, home or away, and cheer the team on as they completed the 2014-15 schedule.
“We kept each other going,” Faith says. “Diera and I both love this game, and we were there for each other in that time of need. We even had regular talks that we called ‘Motivation Mondays’ where we would give each other support and encouragements. We were already good friends, but I feel so much closer to her now that we’ve endured that trial together.”
Like Faith, Diera is equally grateful for the support of her teammate.
“Having Faith there with me helped so much,” Diera says. “While our reasons for not playing can’t really be compared, the fact is that we both had something that we loved, the game of basketball, taken away from us. And that hurt. But I know it would have hurt worse if Faith wasn’t there by my side. We called each other for support and constantly talked about how we would come back strong in 2015.”
Faith Starling and Diera DeLoatch had to endure the pain of missing out on a year of high school basketball. In losing something they truly love, they found something just as valuable: the irreplaceable bond of a teammate. They went out of their way to keep each other’s spirits lifted, and now that both girls have made full recoveries, they are back to doing what they love: leading the way for the 2015-2016 Lowndes Vikettes basketball team.
Sidebar:
Coach Bell on Diera DeLoatch:
“Diera is such a serving person. She doesn’t hesitate to do for others, and she always puts the team first. She’s wonderful to watch because she has a passion for the game that you don’t see often.”
Coach Bell on Faith Starling:
“I don’t think anybody on this team works harder than Faith. She is ultra-competitive, and she absolutely hates losing. She’s that player that wants to win at all costs, and it’s so valuable to this team because her personality is infectious. Her teammates see her determination, and it pushes them to want to do everything possible to leave the court with a win.”
South Georgia / January 2016
Diera DeLoach and Faith Starling
Lowndes High School
Valdosta, Ga.
Sideline Bond: Teammates Use Injury to Lend Support
By James Washington
