FRANKLIN, Ky. – Two months ago, the Franklin-Simpson Lady Cats basketball team wrapped up its season on the floor of Rupp Arena, and Thursday morning, two of that group’s seven seniors signed the dotted line to continue playing the game in college.
Guards Vanessa Ray and Naja Nolan joined teammate LaReesha Cawthorn in making the decision to further their academic and athletic careers at the next level, with Ray signing to play at Volunteer State Community College and Nolan signing to play at Dyersburg State Community College.
The pair were a part of 99 career wins with the Lady Cats under head coach Ashley Taylor, and both served important roles in the team’s return to the top of the Fourth Region.
For Ray, her 2024-2025 season saw career highs in points (266), points per game (8.6), rebounds (121) and rebounds per game (3.9).
From a freshman working to earn her time on the court to being the team’s third-leading scorer as a senior, Ray spoke on how refreshing it was to finally sign to play at Vol State.
“ It’s really like a privilege. I’ve been working hard, and I definitely deserve it,” Ray said. “I’m so ready, so excited and can’t wait to see what it’s like to play college ball.”
The day was not only special for Ray because she finalized her future plans with the Pioneers, but also because she was able to do so alongside one of her best friends, and after signing, she shared what that meant for both her and Nolan.
“It means a lot to us. We grew up with each other and it was just a really big deal for us,” Ray said.
For Nolan, after battling back from injury in her senior season, the guard was able to showcase her best offensive high school season, scoring a total of 60 points (4.6 per game) across 13 outings.
After four seasons of competing at Franklin-Simpson, Nolan shared what she will remember the most, even after her days wearing a Lady Cats jersey.
“Definitely my teammates and my coaches and just the way that we were all together, and just the family that we had. It was ten times a lot better than any basketball family that I could even imagine, but I’m ready to create another one,” said Nolan.
Her new hoops home with the Eagles will allow Nolan to grow her game and raise it to new heights, but there will be some familiarity within her competition.
Just last season, Dyersburg State and Volunteer State, both NJCAA Division I teams, met up on February 26, with the Eagles taking the matchup, and with a more than likely meeting coming in the next year, Nolan is looking forward to playing on the same court with her good friend.
“I think it’ll be fun. You know, it’ll be really, really interesting to see how it goes,” Nolan said. “She knows my weaknesses, I know hers, but we’re going to get better, so it’ll be fun to watch. It’ll be a good game.”
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