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LANDIS — It’s safe to say the last year of Janetta Heggins’ life has been the hardest.
The last time we checked in with Heggins was at the East-West All-Star Game nearly a year ago. That night in Greensboro, Heggins played great with and against the best in the state and looked like a sure bet to make a huge impact in her freshman year at Western Carolina University.
But a road that has always been smooth hit a few potholes last fall. Not to mention a soft shoulder.
Heggins made basketball look easy that starry July night in Greensboro, just as she always made it appear easy on Rowan courts.
In high school, Heggins looked like a pro who’d just taken a leave of absence from the WNBA and had stopped by the local gym. Long (5-foot-11) and lean, she was faster than everyone else and at the same time, stronger than everyone else. That was a deadly combination. She could beat you down the floor or beat you up inside. She could play the 3, the 4 or the 5 and whip you at all of them.
Heggins played her freshman year — just her freshman year — for Gary Atwell at North Rowan and is still on the books as the Cavs’ No. 33 all-time scorer.
She played her last three years at South for James Greene, a close friend of the family through church, and averaged 17 points a game. She finished as the No. 4 all-time scorer at South, with 1,700 career points between the two schools. More important, during her three years as a Raider, Greene’s teams went 58-22, the second best three-year run in school history.
Heggins did more than just score. She rebounded, defended and blocked shots. She had great talent and combined it with a great work ethic to become one of the better Rowan players of the last decade. The awards piled up. Big ones. Like County Athlete of the Year and County Basketball Player of the Year in 1998.
Only one thing ever stopped Heggins during her prep glory days. Once in awhile, you’d see her walk slowly to the bench with tears in her eyes. Those were the times when a trick shoulder had popped right out of its socket.
“I had loose ligaments and tendons,” says Heggins. “It happened a lot.”
It happened again during a preseason workout roughly two weeks after Heggins arrived in Cullowhee. And this was the worst it had ever been.
“The shoulder came out and my hand swelled up until it was just humongous,” says Heggins. “I’d damaged some nerves.”
The doctors told Heggins the shoulder required surgery. Surgery meant no basketball. It meant a red-shirt season.
“They said I could either get the shoulder fixed or I shouldn’t play any more basketball,” said Heggins. “I had the surgery.”
They operated on Heggins on Dec. 23. Doctors used a heated laser probe to shrink her troublesome shoulder ligaments. The operation was declared a success. Physicians told her there should be no more problems.
So far, they’ve been right.
“At first, with the shoulder, I was like, ‘Should I play. Will it come out?’ But now I don’t even think about it,” says Heggins.”
But last season was painful in more ways than just the shoulder. Heggins traveled with the team, cheered for her teammates, but the only time she’d ever sat during a high school game was after it had been decided. The bench got very old, very fast.
“I learned a lot about what I needed to work on by watching,” she says. “But having to watch and not play just about killed me.”
The rest of the college experience, Heggins says, was beautiful. As always, she stood out in the classroom with a 3.4 grade point average. She also fell in love with quiet Cullowhee.
“It’s peaceful, so calm,” she says. “I enjoy just sitting and looking out the window in the spring and fall. We did have one blizzard, but even the winter wasn’t all that bad.”
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Pain-free for the first time in a long time, Heggins is spending her summer getting in top shape. She’s working hoops camps as an instructor and speaker and plays often with current South players.
“Janetta (and former South stars Latoya Ramsey and Porchia Byrd) beat on us pretty bad at our camp,” says Arthur, who coaches South’s jayvees. “Janetta looks to be in good shape. Best of all, she has no pain.”
Western hired a new coach after last season — Beth Duncanburger — and initially Heggins was concerned about someone who didn’t know her and hadn’t recruited her.
“I was hesitant at first and wondered if I’d made a good decision, but she’s a great coach,” says Heggins.
Heggins will have plenty of court competition this season, but figures she has a chance to get on the floor at both the small and big forward spots.
“If I go in with my shot and my ball-handling down pat, I could play 3,” says Heggins. “That’s what I love.”
Heggins says that Western had a strong recruiting year, including East Rowan’s standout No. 2 guard Nicole Loggins.
“I know Nicole mostly as a rival, but I also know she has a lot of talent,” said Heggins. “She asked me at the Christmas Tournament last year what to expect. I told her to get ready for some serious running.”
Heggins gets in her share of serious running daily, because dad is always around to provide a gentle push.
“You know, Janetta tells her mom everything. She tells me nothing. I just hear a little bit here and there,” laughs Art. “But she still wants old daddy around whenever it’s time for her to work out.”
“It’s fun to push yourself,” says Janetta. “Why not do the best you can possibly do? Why not work as hard as you can?”
This year with her health intact, all that work should pay off for Heggins.
“Lots of people stayed with me and told me not to give up,” she says. “I’m looking forward to doing well for them this season. I’m very excited.”
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