Bravette super senior pair do their signings

Published 12:30 pm Friday, April 25, 2025

The “history makers” of Baldwin High School girls basketball, two seniors who started on three straight GHSA state finalists, are taking the next steps into the collegiate game carrying all the expectations that come with it.

Kassidy Neal, the Bravette forward who averaged 16.5 points per game and seven rebounds a contest as a senior, is following in the footsteps of her high school head coach, Kizzi Walker. She signed Wednesday with Georgia Southwestern State University, which in Walker’s All-American days was at the NAIA level but has hence advanced to NCAA Division II and the Peach Belt Conference.

Janaye Walker, the coach’s daughter, is not following in her mother’s footsteps but instead is jumping into NCAA Division I competition. She also signed Wednesday to attend and play for Hampton University in Virginia, the school being a member of the Colonial Athletic Conference. The Pirates last season played the likes of Georgia and Vanderbilt of the SEC.

Walker was a double-double waiting to happen with each tip-off for four years at Baldwin. In her senior season she produced nearly 16 points to go with nearly 15 rebounds a game.

In their careers, the two were in a semifinal team as freshmen, and Walker was named Player of the Year right away. As sophomores, they made that first state final appearance only to fall to Griffin High. Both Walker and Neal eclipsed 1,000 career points as juniors, the season Baldwin captured both region and the AAAA state championship. As seniors, the pair shared the All-County Player of the Year honors from The Union-Recorder as region champions again and state finalists a third time.

“They made everything so much easier,” said assistant coach Yuri Haynes, who had both players in her volleyball team at Baldwin for four years. “They leave an impression. Their presence alone is everything. To see them in action is amazing. I will never forget what they have brought to this program. They are my heart, and I wish them the best.”

“We are celebrating the crossover from high school basketball to college basketball,” said coach Walker, referring to her players often as “Frick” and “Frack” though not specific on whom was which. “Not only are they teammates and classmates, but they are also longtime friends. The Co-All County Players of the Year are exceptional at what they do.

“When they came to the Bravettes, they quickly established their queen-dom.”

Walker said all of their experiences in high school and club basketball molded them into what they became at the present time. She believes they have only scratched the surface of what they can do, especially her own child Janaye, while describing Neal’s play on the court as that of a “bully.”

“You will get out (of college basketball) what you put in,” the coach said to her players. “The harder you work, the more stats you will achieve. You both absolutely hate losing, but remember that losses don’t determine how good you are, or that you aren’t good enough. It’s learning … how you respond to situations in life and basketball. Your strength and tenacity will take you to more greatness.”