Junior Olivia Vernon, the starting point guard at Perry, is leaving a trail of success behind her as she works hard to excel in both high school and club girls basketball.

Vernon has been playing club basketball along with school basketball since sixth grade, and has been widely recognized by others as a powerful team player. She began as a starting point guard for Perry’s varsity team  her freshman year, and continues to start for the team even now. According to , her coach Brock Kearsley, “she has a lot of experience coming into this season, probably the most experienced player we have.”

She has developed a passion for her game and loves to see the outcomes of her determination. “I love it. Vernon said, “I mean there’s been times when [I wonder] ‘what am I doing to myself?’ because it just can get intense and overwhelming but… all my work is starting to pay off.”

Vernon has big plans for her next club season at a new club called Arizona Fire, planning to “I have a club season coming up after this school season and that’s when I plan to really, I hope, get myself out there to certain coaches.” With so much basketball experience between school and club basketball, her talent is increasing more and more all the time.

Vernon’s talents are not unrecognized, with her being the only girls basketball player last year at Perry to receive district and statewide recognition. She also qualified for a team made up of the top prospects of Arizona this year, a big step for her. She was in all-state team two and Chandler Unified School District team one due to several coaches nominating her as one of their top choices of the best players.

Emily Solomon, Elyse Dunn, Jade Verberne, and Vernon all started playing varsity their freshman year and have developed a close bond throughout their years of experience together. Olivia plays a significant role in this with her leadership on the court as said by Verberne, “she’s a good leader. She steps up at the team bondings… and gets us back on track.” Kearsley said, “when she’s on the court she provides that calm, take charge attitude.”

Olivia’s success is a result of her hard work and determination to achieve her goals, and the more she continues to play this sport that she loves, the better she will become than she is even now.