Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Vanzant Siblings Train Together
YOUNGER BROTHER HELPED MVP SHARPEN HER SKILLS
FARMINGTON — The 25- day wait between postponement and eventual cancellation of the Class 4A State finals isn’t the first time Makenna Vanzant has had her basketball career put on hold.
In the fall of 2017, Makenna endured a 16-day hospitalization at Arkansas Children’s Hospital at Little Rock battling for her life against Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a condition that affects the blood and the blood vessels and results in the destruction of blood platelets, a low red-blood cell count, and kidney failure due to damage to very small blood vessels of the kidneys.
That challenge arose almost overnight. Farmington coach Brad Johnson recalled going from what felt like a normal practice to learning Makenna had been hospitalized the next day.
“I was just blessed to be alive. Basketball was obviously a top of my priority to get back to, but just being able to get back to normal life was what I really wanted,” Makenna said. “Being able to get back to basketball was just a perk. I was very blessed to be able to do that.”
Recovery Mindset
The Farmington team continued working hard every day while Makenna fought the illness. She knew she was losing everything she’d gained during off- season from putting on muscle weight in the weightroom to running many miles to get into shape as well as all the shots she had put up to get ready for her sophomore season.
Yet while she lay in bed sick many miles away from her teammates, Makenna was planning how she’d get back to her team and regain everything she had lost.
Miraculously Makenna’s numbers began to improve and she recovered speedily, returning
in time for the season opener at Prairie Grove in early November, seemingly without skipping a beat.
Finals Postponed
Fast forward to March 2020.
The covid-19 pandemic threw a monkey wrench into state basketball finals across Arkansas, leaving teams in various classifications including 3A, 4A, 5A and 6A one game away from an undisputed state championship when the Arkansas Activities Association announced the finals were postponed indefinitely on March 12, the day before Farmington was set to take on Star City in the Class 4A state championship at Bank OZK Arena at Hot Springs on Friday, March 13.
The AAA imposed a dead period, meaning coaches couldn’t conduct practices, workouts or weight-lifting. School athletic facilities closed in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus and players found themselves isolated.
Makenna didn’t have to look very far to find someone to keep her sharp with social distancing implemented.
Unsung Hero
One of the unsung heroes, who helped sharpen her skills as Makenna became the Class 4A State Tournament Most Valuable Player for 2020 is her younger brother, eighthgrader Cameron Vanzant. A quality athlete in his own right, Cameron quarterbacked the junior high football team to a winning record in Farmington’s first season as a member of the 7A West Junior High Conference for football.
Over the years older sister and younger brother played countless 1-on-1 games taking their sibling rivalry out on the basketball court inside the family shop. No boy likes to admit he’s lost an athletic contest to his sister, but Cameron is three years younger and has probably done as much as anyone to make Makenna a better player.
Cameron downplays his role pointing out Makenna’s work ethic to improve her game. Yet, Makenna knows those 1-on-1 games benefitted her.
“He pushes me working out as well. He’s a lot more physical than girls so that gets me better out there as well,” Makenna said.
Cameron has blocked his share of Makenna’s shots, which has helped her adjust when driving the lane and challenging a defense.
“Multiple,” he grins while she laughs.
Cameron first beat his sister 1-on-1 about a year ago and the trash talking began.
“I didn’t stop hearing about it for awhile,” Makenna said.
Makenna concentrates on finishing because Cameron isn’t giving her a basket without making her work for it.
“Playing against any boy is an advantage to playing against girls so yes it has (sharpened my skills) cause I’m used to him fouling me all the way down there and I’m getting that ‘and one,’” Makenna said.
Makenna not only absorbs the physical contact, she pushes back.
“I beat you up every now and then, too,” Makenna said.
Cameron said he hasn’t had to tone it down because of Makenna’s toughness.
“Not really cause she’s competitive or as competitive as me so I really haven’t had to take it easy or stuff like that,” Cameron said. “I just love playing against her cause it feels good when I beat her sometimes so that’s what I try to go for. Whenever I do play her, I try to beat her. If I don’t then I’ll try again.”
Championship
On April 6 the AAA declared Farmington and Star City as co-champions for Class 4A girls basketball with the remaining state finals canceled following an announcement by Gov. Asa Hutchinson that public schools will remain closed for on-site instruction for the remainder of the school year due to covid-19.
Makenna was named State MVP. She concluded her high school career with two brilliant games scoring 20 points in both contests to lead the Lady Cardinals into the state finals.
As she reflected on her journey during an FCA “Fields of Faith” event Makenna said, “I don’t know why I got sick and I never even questioned that. All I know is that maybe what I went through was to help someone else have faith in their own situation of sickness, trials or troubles.
“I encourage all of you to remember that with God nothing is impossible. In Matthew 17:20 it says, ‘For truly I tell you if you have faith the size of a mustard seed nothing will be impossible for you.’”
Through it all Makenna knew she could count on her brother.
The Vanzant siblings complement one another. Iron sharpens iron.