Springfield Renaissance School basketball player becomes 1,000 point scorer

SPRINGFIELD, MA. (WGGB/WSHM) - In this week’s Friday Night Frenzy feature story, Western Mass News spoke with a basketball player from Springfield Renaissance School who hit a milestone most people only dream of.

C’Niyah Hines, a senior at the Springfield Renaissance School and recalled the day she hit her 1,000 point on the basketball court against Southwick last week.

“It was so stressful, most stressful game in my life,” said Hines.

Hines explained while it was an unbelievable achievement, the moment means more than most people know.

“I lost my grandmother a couple months ago, she told me before she passed away that I would be getting my thousand points and she would be standing right there next to me,” said Hines. “I started crying while I felt like a stress relieved off my shoulders...”

Hines expressed the girls’ varsity head coach, Jashua Baker, had a major impact on her development.

“My game lagged in the beginning, but when I had someone believe in me, it helped me to believe in myself,” said Hines.

Coach Baker told us there is nothing C’Niyah cannot do, and that work ethic translates off the court.

“She is relentless in hitting her goals,” said Baker. “She is the model student athlete, she does what she hast to do in school and in the classroom, she has a 4.9 GPA”

The team has certainly benefited from C’Niyah’s efforts as they make a run at states.

“Right now, we are 23 and the power rankings,” said Hines. “So we are definitely going to make a run at states where we see it is what were concerned about right now.”

While she has college offers from all over the country, C’Niyah said playing basketball at the next level is not her number one priority.

“I want to be a pediatric nurse and I want to focus on that,” said Hines. “I know it’s very hard, but then again I do still want to be that to student athlete.”

Coach Baker shared his message for C’Niyah, “Never dim your light, that’s about it, just keep shining bright, keep focusing and know that you are limitless.”

Regardless of what she decides to do, one thing is certain, her name will be added to the banner of 1,000 points scorers as the third person ever to hit that milestone at Springfield Renaissance School.

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