In Kinston, North Carolina, basketball is king — or queen, as the case may be.
See the full story with text on NPR here: Girls’ Basketball Team Is ‘Another Definition for Family’
(Left to right) Sheriece Jones, Zykia Andrews, and Quiaira Powell cheer for their teammates during a jamboree hosted by Kinston.
(Left to right) Sheriece Jones is helped up from the court by teammates Kahlia Hargett and Quiaira Powell during a game at South Lenoir High School.
The Kinston High School girls basketball team players listen to head coach Christopher Bradshaw after practice. With eight seniors on the team, many of the girls have known each other since preschool and have been playing basketball together since elementary school. Senior Zykia Andrews explains that the team's bond goes beyond the court as well, "It's like a sisterhood."
Senior Lesley Sutton, center, fixes her hair along with teammates Taliyah Jones, left, and Anzaryia Cobb, right, following a game.
Quiaira Powell's homecoming queen crown sits on the dashboard of her car.
Senior Quiaira Powell watches her friends get ready to have their photos taken wearing caps and gowns a few months before graduation. Schools throughout North Carolina closed in March as a result of the coronavirus and a modified graduation ceremony for Kinston High School seniors took place in early June. Several small ceremonies were held with limited guests as students wore masks and sat in chairs spaced at least six feet apart throughout the gymnasium.
(Left to right) After their game, Kinston players Kahlia Hargett, Lesley Sutton, Quiaira Powell, and Alena Rivers sit in the stands with a friend's son to watch the boy's team play South Lenoir High School.
Senior Michyla Dove hugs her mom Lori Carmon before heading to a day of jamboree games hosted by Kinston High School.
Michyla Dove's mom Lori Carmon holds her "basketball mom" necklace. Carmon travels to all of Dove's games and says she plans to do the same when Dove plays for Barton College about an hour away next year.
Senior Taliyah Jones works on online coursework through Kinston-based Lenoir Community College. Jones has been taking online courses throughout high school and will attend Winston-Salem State University next year.
Sheriece Jones relaxes before a game. Recognized as one of the best players in the state, Jones was selected to play in the NCCA East-West GirlsÕ Basketball All-Star Game. The game was later cancelled due to concerns about the coronavirus. However, Jones will play for St. Augustine's University in Raleigh next year.
Winter Lane, left, the only sophomore on the varsity team, leans on senior Anzaryia Cobb, right, during pre-season training sessions last summer.
Taliyah Jones warms up with the rest of her team before a game.
Kinston High School cheerleaders support the girl's team during a game against South Lenoir High School. The cheerleaders travel with the girl's basketball team to away games as well cheering for them at home.
Head coach Christopher Bradshaw talks with the team during a game against North Lenoir High School. Bradshaw has been head coach since 2013 and understands the important role he plays in helping to shape the girls' future success. "I could go home and relax," he explains, "but God has blessed me to mentor these kids."
Seniors on the girl's basketball team volunteer at the concession stand during a boy's football game. The girls spend as much time together off the court as they do playing together. Their team chant which echoes throughout the locker room before games and after every practice, is "Family on three! One, two, three, family!"
Lori Carmon, left, whose daughter Michyla Dove plays on the team, and team assistant KJay Johnson, right, serve food during the jamboree games hosted by Kinston High School. Carmon woke up at one a.m. that morning to start cooking all of the food. She is a constant fixture at every game and says that, "I have one child but I've gained many," then adding, "ThereÕs nothing like being a team mom."
Senior Zykia Andrews celebrates her eighteenth birthday with friends and teammates at a local seafood restaurant. After dinner the girls went bowling. When thinking about her last Kinston High School basketball season and all of the milestones of senior year, Andrews says, "I don't want to cry about it, but it's hard to believe."
Michyla Dove rests her head on a friend's shoulder while waiting to celebrate her teammate Zykia Andrews's eighteenth birthday.
Kinston High School basketball players and their friends wait outside the Hook and Reel restaurant before celebrating senior Zykia Andrews's birthday.
Senior Anzaryia Cobb's brother Ervin Jones wears a shirt with a photo of his sister during senior night celebrations.
Anzaryia Cobb, center, holds her niece, right, while she and Winter Lane, left, prepare to leave the locker room following the team's loss in the Regional Championship game. The round of regional championship games were the last games to be played before the State Championships were cancelled due to the coronavirus.
The team prays after a game.
Balloons for Zykia Andrews (#30) float on the ceiling outside the gym during Kinston High School senior night celebrations.
Michyla Dove and the rest of the team practice at a community gym. As eight members of the team prepare to finish up their senior year, Dove says, "I feel like IÕm not who I am without them. I wouldnÕt be who I am today had I not met these girls."
Junior Kenya Forbes looks out of the bus window on the way to a game. With eight seniors leaving the team, Forbes will be one of only a few players with varsity experience for the upcoming season. Despite the challenges of rebuilding the team and the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic, Coach Bradshaw will continue to emphasize resilience. He mentions a common local sentiment. "If you're from Kinston, you can adjust to anything," he says as his sights are already set on next season.