Senior Courtney Blakely is a force to be reckoned with. Blakely is the point guard for the Bishop Noll Institute (BNI) Girls Basketball Team, a position she has held since her freshman year and continues to show that she deserves.
Within the last few weeks, Blakely has made headlines for her impressive scoring average. She is currently ranked number one in the state for points per game with an average of 32.2 points. Nationally, she is ranked number five.
Her highest scoring game in her high school career was 55 points against rival Andrean High School on January 5, 2021. Blakely has broken many records including surpassing 2,000 points, becoming BNI’s all-time leading female scorer. She is also in the IHSAA top 25 all-time scoring list in girls high school basketball. Best of all, Blakely helped lead her BNI team to two conference and sectional titles. With more games to come, she hopes to move-up the ladder and continue making history.
Aside from basketball, Blakely is an honors student, taking many AP, dual credit, and honors courses at BNI.
“My favorite class would have to be algebra 2 because I love Mark Miller’s method of teaching. I also really enjoyed accounting because I am beginning to learn more about my major,” said Blakely.
Blakely is also involved in the Women's Empowerment Club, was inducted into the National Honor Society last year, and was a member of this year’s homecoming court. As a member of the Women's Empowerment Club, Blakely helps fundraise for the Woman’s Care Center in Hammond and also gives talks to other girls about inspiring women both in history and today’s world. With the National Honor Society, she helps out with blood drives at the school and tutors her peers.
At the end of junior high, Blakely did not know where she was going to be attending high school. However, as soon as her parents told her that she would be attending BNI, she was so excited. She knew that she would not only be able to succeed in basketball, but also in academics with BNI’s advanced technology and STREAM programs.
One of the best experiences she has had this year also includes being able to play with her younger sister, Kennedy.
“It’s amazing; if I’m not bringing enough energy, best believe she will. Having Kennedy for this one year has been fun and she plays a major role in our successes” said Blakely.
2020 brought a lot of challenges for Blakely, especially COVID-19. School was virtual, gyms and basketball courts were shut down, and her college recruitment process was delayed because she was unable to visit schools and coaches could not see her play.
“The hardest part was adjusting to school life at home and how to go from being in a classroom everyday to being home where I have access to all of the distractions. In terms of basketball, it was very difficult because no one could have summer sessions. There were no coaches at the tournaments that were occurring, and most of the bigger sessions were cancelled due to COVID-19, so my recruiting process really slowed down,” said Blakely.
However, Blakely knew she had to push through it. She took several safety precautions once gyms and basketball courts opened up and began training harder than ever before.
“I’ve been able to keep pushing because I know that no matter what happens, I still want to attain my goals and be successful for all the individuals who sacrificed so much for me,” said Blakely.
After she graduates from BNI, she plans on playing division I basketball. Blakely is currently undecided, but has many offers from different schools around the country including Indiana State, Texas Tech, St. John’s, and Middle Tennessee. Academically, she plans on majoring in accounting. She also hopes to play in the WNBA or overseas.
When Blakely isn’t in school, working out, tutoring her peers, or attending meetings for Women’s Empowerment Club, she likes to go skating and cook soul food.
As her final months as a Warrior wrap-up, she continues to make her school and team proud. The BNI community is remarkably proud of her and all of the accomplishments that she has been able to achieve while being a student athlete at BNI, and we can’t wait to see where her journey takes her moving forward.