A Local high school basketball player is named a finalist for a national award.
“I’ve been through a lot,” said Fernandina Beach High School senior Nevaeh Morris.
Basketball is Nevaeh’s escape from reality
“It helps me just take my mind off things and then once I’m done playing I just kind of forget I had the problems in the first place,” said Morris.
Nevaeh lost her grandmother, great grandmother and witnessed her uncle’s murder.
“A year after that is when Lexi died in a plane crash, and that kind of just broke me,” said Morris.
Lexi was Nevaeh’s former teammate, mentor and close friend, and after it all, she still keeps going.
“It’s been a lot, but I don’t know I make it through at the end of the day and I stay strong.”
Nevaeh’s basketball coach, Jon Ball nominated her for the Jersey Mike’s Naismith High School Basketball Courage Award.
RELATED: Plane crashes in St. Marys River on Florida-Georgia border, kills student and instructor
“Who better and displayed more courage than Nevaeh with everything she’s been through, with all the loss she’s experienced in life and how she’s overcome adversity,” said Ball.
After a nomination process that saw hundreds of entries from coaches, parents, and athletic directors across the country, Nevaeh is a top ten finalist.
Off the court, Nevaeh is a member of the hope squad, counseling others going through difficult times, and she works as a trainer on campus, helping other athletes.
“She has really become a leader and a mentor,” said Ball.
If Nevaeh is a top two finalist, Jersey Mike’s will make a $2,000 donation her high school basketball programs and reward her with an additional $2,000 dollars.
She has a message for those who are or have gone through something similar.
“Stay strong and just it will get better eventually, and you just got to hold out,” said Morris.
Nevaeh will find out if she is a top two finalist on March 7.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.