LA FERIA — The next step in Kayla Lowe’s athletic career came Friday.
The standout senior guard signed an athletic scholarship agreement to play basketball next school year for Dallas Christian College, an NCAA Division II school.
Lowe moved to La Feria with her family as a seventh-grader and has made an impact in her community athletically since her arrival. She began as a standout runner who decided to focus on basketball. The decision led to getting a scholarship to play her sport at the next level.
“This is unbelievable, and it’s a dream come true for me,” Lowe said of her signing. “It’s something I’ve wanted since I was 4 (when I started playing basketball). It’s everything I wanted it to be.”
Lowe signed her scholarship agreement Friday at the high school library in front of family members, classmates, friends, coaches and school officials.
It was a celebratory atmosphere with a few tears of joy appearing on the faces of those present, including the young basketball star.
“I just want people to know they should follow their dreams,” said Lowe, who plans to pursue a degree in sports psychology. “You may have to cancel out or sacrifice some things in your life (to reach your dream), but at the end it’s going to be completely worth it.”
Lionettes coach Angel Martinez appreciates everything Lowe, an all-district first-teamer and an All-Valley all-star pick, has done to help the girls basketball program at La Feria. He said she is a “gym rat” who is always ready to practice, either early in the morning, late at night and at all times in between.
She played on the varsity four seasons and started three of them. As a senior point guard, she scored between 12-15 points per game and averaged about 10 assists per game. She finished with between 25-30 3-pointers her senior season, and hit seven 3-pointers in one of her games.
Martinez said Lowe is an athlete who plays the game with passion.
“Kayla is one of those players you only see every four or five years,” Martinez said. “You feel happy for her (going on to college), but then you feel a little miserable (that she’s ending her high school career). It will take a very special person to fill her shoes now. I tried to move her from point guard to shooting guard, but she just did such a good job (as a ball handler) that I just couldn’t do it. You want the ball in her hands at all times, especially when it’s a crucial part of the game.
“Kayla is a great leader and a great motivator — she loves to win,” Martinez added. “I’m looking forward to seeing her shine at the next level. Not many athletes get a chance to do that, and the fact that she’s doing it and representing La Feria, I’m very proud of her. Basketball is something that has been embedded in her. She always gives it her best.
“She’s got a motor, and she can play the entire game if you need her to. She’s a great young lady and comes from a great family. I think her parents (Carlos and Elena Lowe) are very proud of her, just as much as I am. It will be a big challenge for her at the next level, but knowing her character, I think she’ll do just fine.”
Lowe is eager to face her next challenge on the basketball court as a college student/athlete.
“I expect it to be difficult playing against girls who are bigger and taller than my size,” she said. “It will be a challenge, but I know it will be a challenge that I can overcome. I believe I can show everybody that I can do it.”
