by By Dan Ninham, Contributing Writer
Serenity Golightly is a member of the Kiowa Tribe. She is going to be a senior at Chickasha HS in Oklahoma and is a basketball and track athlete.
Golightly earned an honorable mention for the Western Athletic Conference her freshmen year, and a Western Athletic Conference Second Team her sophomore and junior years.
Indigenous core values guide athletes to be their best in competition and in their preparation to perform well in practice. Golightly talked about her core values. She said, “When I think of my indigenous core values I think of respect, love, determination, bravery, and so much more.”
“My late grandmother, who was full blood Kiowa, taught me a lot about my indigenous core values in all aspects of life. When I step out on the court whether it’s to practice or to compete I’m always determined to be better than I was the day before. My grandma used to always tell me to always be brave and not to let anyone ever just push me around both on and off the court,” added Golightly.
“When I am playing and practicing basketball it’s always been more than just a game for me,” said Golightly. “Without my ancestors and those before me I wouldn’t be where I am or who I am today. I’m extremely thankful for my indigenous roots and my hope and prayer is that anytime I touch a basketball that I am inspiring many other indigenous players like myself.”
Golightly is going into her senior year of basketball and she wants to continue playing basketball on a collegiate level. She played AAU basketball this past summer “to get more experience playing and get in front of college coaches. I also am continually training to get better,” added Golightly.
“My main mentor is my brother EJ Golightly,” said Golightly. “He is my mentor because no matter what he is doing he drops anything to help train me. He has made me a better basketball player and person. He has worked hard to be where he is at now and I really appreciate and look up to him.”
Jace Johnson was Serenity’s head girls’ basketball coach at Chickasha High School. Coach Johnson said, “Serenity is an extremely hard worker with a great personality. She sets the tone for our group every day in practice and will eventually in games when the season starts. She also puts in extra time after practice working on her game and inviting others to come up and work on theirs. She’s a joy to have. As a coach, she’s the type of kid I wish I had five of every year.”
Cristie Oliver is the track and basketball coach at Chickasha High School. She said, “Serenity is a natural leader, she leads by example in both sports that I coach her in. Serenity makes sure to show her teammates how they should do things. I have seen her put in extra time to work on her skill set and invite her younger teammates to join her in the workouts. She has a smile on her face when she arrives at practice and shows she enjoys the sports she plays.”
Photo: Marisa Holbert
