South Walton “warrior” has grown up a lot

South Walton senior Jamie Delaney couldn’t imagine playing basketball anywhere else.

The 18-year-old senior forward for the Seahawks varsity team has been playing basketball since she was in the 4^th grade.

Delaney was born and raised in Alaska and moved to Florida six years ago.

“The biggest difference in moving to Florida was the temperature change,” Delaney said.

Delaney added that “basketball is really big in Alaska and that every girl in her family has played.”

Delaney is in her fourth season playing basketball under Head Coach Kevin Craig.

“Jamie is a warrior,” Craig said. “She is definitely not afraid of anything.”

Delaney is one of the Seahawks team captains.

“It is actually kind of a new thing to be a leader,” she said. “I watched the seniors before me and that helped. I have caught on to what is expected.”

While she relishes the thought of being a leader on the team, Delaney knows it comes with high expectations.

“It really means a lot to have the younger girls look up to me,” Delaney said. “They look up to everything you do, so it puts a lot of pressure on you to be a good example.”

Craig has been coaching Delaney since the 8^th grade and has watched her “grow up a lot.”

“She has really come a long way,” Craig said.

Craig likes to think of Delaney as a “free spirit.”

“She kind of just does her own thing,” he said. “She is one of a kind.

Delaney once quit the team in the middle of a summer game, Craig noted.

“It was tough,” he said. “But you can guess who was there waiting the next morning. Jamie apologized and we moved on from there.”

Delaney has high goals, not only for herself, but for her team.

“Coach always tells us what it is like to go to state,” she said. “That is all I want. I want to feel it so bad.”

The girls’ team has never made it past the first round of Districts. Craig believes his team has what it takes this year to surpass that goal and make it to State.

“We really do have a shot this year,” Craig said. “I think we can make it to the Final Four.”

This is the last chance for Delaney to lead her team to the playoffs and make that final push.

“It’s tough being a senior and knowing that it’s my last year,” Delaney said. “I’m going to give it my all every game and play the best that I can.”

When Delaney finishes her career at South Walton, she plans to attend college in Alabama. While she is not quite sure of where yet, she knows she wants to study sports medicine.

Craig is not eager for the season to end.

“Replacing her is going to be tough,” he said. “I will take her intensity and toughness all day long. I wish I had 10 of her.”

When asked about her most memorable moment at South Walton, the first thing to come to mind was Coach Craig’s 600^th win.

“It was so awesome,” she said. “At that moment I just thought to myself how blessed I was to be a part of it all.”

Delaney said that “the crowd was going crazy and everyone was holding up 600 signs in the crowd.”

“I just don’t think that anything could beat that moment,” Delaney said. “I am going to remember that forever.”