Before Nomi Washington could even remember, she was playing basketball. Her love for the sport drove her to spend endless days practicing. This practice led Washington to score 1,000 career points on New Year’s Eve 2018. Washington is a 5’7 senior and plays a guard position. With a major in criminology and sociology, Washington choose Cabrini because her sister also graduated from there. What made scoring 1,000 career points even more special was that her older sister, Amber, was the last to also score 1,000 career points. The sisters never got to play at Cabrini together but have played in a few tournaments in the past with each other.
When Nomi scored that 1,000 career point she shared a special moment with her family, boyfriend and Renee Oliver who also played at Cabrini. “It was very important to have them at this game because they are my support system and I hold each one of them close to my heart,” Washington said. Her teammates were also there to celebrate with Washington. They were all very excited when she accomplished this goal. The team grew so close throughout the years and when senior year hits, the players begin to realize they are leaving soon. “It’s hard when teammates graduate because they grow so close with you and even after they leave the relationships still last,” Washington said.
The womens basketball coach, Kate Pearson, pushes her to be better. “She reminds me of where I have been and where I can go,” Washington says. Washington is inspired to always want to be the best. She knew how good she was but she wanted to do more and be more.
When Washington scored that 1,000th point it was a moment of overwhelming excitement. “I felt completely amazing. It was something that I had not had the chance to do in high school. Getting it in college, a place where only few can ever say they have done this, was huge for me,” Washington said. The game was played against Moravian. Even though the team lost that game Washington said, “It was a bitter sweet moment and it turned into such a huge accomplishment, I put the loss aside and celebrated with my family,”
The team had a struggle of not winning their first conference championship. “We put up a good fight and in the end I am lucky enough to say that I ended my career with two conference championships plus all the NJCAA tournament wins,” Washington said.
The team ended with 11 conference wins out of 12. Washington has these wins under her belt plus being named CSAC player of the week (2016-2017), D3Hoops.com All-Atlantic Region Third Team, CSAC defensive player of the year, first team all-CSAC, defensive player of the week, CSAC player of the week (2017-2018), and named second team all-conference (2018-2019).
“I just wanted to thank Cabrini for giving me the chance to both play the sport I love and further my education. I got the chance to meet so many incredible people and learn more than I ever thought I would. It has been a true blessing,” Washington said.
