Westfield ‘superfan’ inspires Indiana high school hoops community
WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — Like a true central Indiana family, the Crocketts eat, sleep, and breathe basketball.
So it’s no surprise that their first-born is ranked among the nation’s top 50 seniors by ESPN.
Alyssa Crockett is basically a walking double-double who can also shoot the three. It’s tough to outshine Westfield’s star forward whenever she takes the court.
But, her little brother, Caleb, give her a run for her money.
“He lights up everyone and he puts a smile on everyone’s faces, not just our team but everyone in the gym,” Alyssa said. “He drives his family and he motivates us to be better people.”
Caleb, 13, is the oldest Crockett boy. He has Down syndrome and is largely nonverbal. But, he makes his voice heard when it comes to hoops and his favorite player: his big sister, Alyssa.
She describes having Caleb in the stands: “Well, I definitely hear him stomp, and then scream usually. You know, he’s like in our little team mascot in a way. He’s always just making other people happy. No matter the circumstances.”
Their father, Bill, knows the connection between his eldest daughter and son is something special. “Caleb is a superfan. He’s her No. 1 cheerleader. But, he cheers for anybody, doesn’t matter who it is, home team or away team.”
Alyssa said, “He’s always cheering, always doing whatever it takes and, you know, looking at him in stands motivates me to do better and keep rolling.”
Caleb has only missed about three of his big sister’s high school games. So, having her biggest fan nearby was a priority for Alyssa as she chose the next stop in her career, among the dozen of colleges that offered her.
“I knew I didn’t want to go somewhere too far. So, four hours was definitely my max, and Michigan’s just around that, and it was like a family, and they all accepted him very well,” Alyssa said.
She will play at the University of Michigan next year and knows Caleb will be there to cheer her on every step of the way, inspiring his big sister, and everyone he encounters through the game of basketball.