Photo by Ron Burkett.
Raven Omar is a driving force behind Clay-Chalkville’s success on the court.
Game-day is a compound word that Raven Omar takes to heart.
If a game is being played on a particular day, that entire day on the calendar revolves around one thing for the Clay-Chalkville guard: the game.
“Usually all day I’m thinking about the game,” she said.
The first thing the two-sport star -— she plays volleyball and basketball — does when she wakes up in the morning is immediately pack her game bag, setting the rest of the day into motion.
She claims to pay attention in class throughout the day, but doesn’t deny that her mind drifts occasionally.
“I’m thinking about the game, trying to get my mind wrapped around it, remembering what all we talked about,” Omar said.
The last hour of the school day is spent in the gym, where the Lady Cougars have a walk-through for the night’s game. During the walk-through, the team goes through its offensive and defensive plays and harps on some of the specifics they will see from the opponent that evening.
After that, there is a window of time for the team to relax and get ready before playing.
“We leave there and go eat,” Omar said. “I like to get to the gym early so I can watch the JV game, and of course, get my mind right and listen to music.”
The game is the end of a day dedicated to building up to tipoff. Omar takes the court as the point guard and floor general in hopes of notching a win.
“It’s game time.”
Playing alongside Kristian Hudson, now at Florida International University, for two years showed Omar how to lead a team, a process that she has tweaked to fit her own personality as she goes.
“I’m the point guard and I have to lead,” Omar said. “I’m learning as I go. My leadership kicks in more now. Now it’s my team.”
That leadership reveals itself on the court with her encouraging nature, as she appears to be the Steve Nash of girls basketball. Nash was known for giving up to 100 high-fives per game to teammates during his time in the NBA. Every dead ball, Omar can be seen moving toward a teammate to give a high-five and an encouraging word.
“I probably get on their nerves because I talk so much. But I let my teammates know that we’re together. We’re one big team,” she said.
That positive nature also gives her the credibility to give constructive criticism when the time arises as well.
“She knows her role is to build kids up, because there’s going to be a time when she’s going to need to be tough on them,” head girls basketball coach Justin Haynie said.
The transition into the main voice among the players has not appeared to be a difficult transition for Omar. Haynie hardly even had to tell her what was expected from the team captain.
“He never put so much pressure on me,” she said. “He does imply that this is your team and you’re the captain. I know that he expects that from me.”
Most nights, Omar is the smallest player on the court, standing at 5-foot-1. Don’t tell her that, though.
“I don’t really see myself as a short person,” she said. “Sometimes people have to remind me that I am short. I will try to go in the lane with the trees.”
Age and experience have taught her the right times to attack the lanes, and she credits Hudson with teaching her another aspect of the game as the point guard.
“I used to be a guard that just wanted to go, go, go. Sometimes you have to slow the game down. Kristian taught me that,” Omar said.
She has become another coach on the floor, something coaches say about their more intelligent players.
For example, a player mistake in a game caused Haynie to yell across the gym in an effort to get the girl’s attention. But the gym was too loud for him to get the message across.
Omar walked over to her teammate and gave instruction to the player, without being told anything. By the time the players got back to the bench and Haynie gave the instructions, she informed Haynie that Omar had already delivered that exact message.
“Coaches say it all the time, but it makes our job easier,” Haynie said.
Outside of the basketball and volleyball courts, Omar has proven to be a well-rounded person in all aspects of life. She has a job, was on the school’s homecoming court in the fall, makes good grades and shows an overall zeal for life that cannot be ignored.
“Everyone knows of her ability and accolades on the court, but she’s an even better student in the classroom and absolutely leads by example,” said Clay-Chalkville principal Michael Lee.
Spend a day with her, or just a minute. Either way, her positivity is infectious.
“Finally, I think of happiness. She’s always smiling and lifts up others around her. People gravitate towards her,” Lee said.
