LaFavor set to make some noise

[Note: this story has been modified since its original posting.]

Tia LaFavor was 5-years-old and couldn’t pronounce certain words correctly.

“I didn’t think anything about it,” her mother Rowena LaFavor said. “She was the second child and, at five, most kids don’t have all of their pronunciations correct, anyway.”

But there was a problem.

“Her cochleas (canals in the inner ear) don’t work,” her mother said. “We didn’t even know she had a problem until she took the kids test to go into kindergarten.”

On Saturday afternoon, the 6-foot-1-inch LaFavor played forward for Lady S.W.A.T, an 18-and-under girls recreational basketball team in the Show-Me-State Games.

Sometimes, LaFavor’s hearing impairment affects her on the court.

“I do have a lot of problems hearing my team, hearing the refs, you know, when they blow the whistle, hearing my coach, you know, because of the audience, the fans...background noise,” LaFavor said. “It’s very hard to hear.”

After LaFavor was diagnosed, she started using hearing aids.

“I could tell so much difference after her first set of hearing aids,” her mother said, “because the TV didn’t have to be near as loud, her pronunciations of words got a lot better, everything.”

Before Lady S.W.A.T.’s 12:40 p.m. game against Chaos, LaFavor walked toward Court 12 in the Hearnes Center with one of her teammates. When asked to give an interview, she seemed a little apprehensive.

“She’s really shy, but she’ll do it,” her teammate said.

But LaFavor isn’t shy on the court.

“Lay ’em in there,” one fan yelled to LaFavor before she shot two free throws.

And she did. Swish. Swish.

LaFavor has been playing basketball since fifth grade. Her reason is simple.

“I love the game,” she said. “I love everything: I love the challenge, the competition, the team work...it’s really awesome.”

LaFavor, also loves her team.

“Being a part of the team is awesome,” she said. “You make the best friends you’ve ever had.”

In April, LaFavor signed a letter of intent to play forward for the Stephens College Stars basketball team.

“It’s been my dream since I started playing to play college ball and get a basketball scholarship,” LaFavor said. “So, it’s actually a dream come true.”

According to a Stephens College press release, LaFavor scored 416 points, 314 rebounds, had 39 assists and blocked 27 shots her senior year. But her ability to play basketball was only one selling point for Stephens’ basketball coach Dane Pavlovich.

“First of all she’s very gifted in the classroom,” Pavlovich said of the Leeton High School salutatorian. “She’s a very smart kid and our academic programs are pretty challenging. And obviously, when I saw her play I knew that she’d be a great fit for us.”

LaFavor’s size and versatility will help the Stephens Stars.

“The height and the position that she plays is definitely something we needed at Stephens,” Pavlovich said. “Anytime you can get a player like Tia who is versatile enough to be able to go outside and shoot a little bit but is also very, very strong inside, you know, we were very excited about that.”

Her mother thinks her daughter is a good athlete, too.

“I’m very proud of her,” her mother said. “Oh my God, it’s just awesome to watch her play, to watch her grow and overcome her obstacles.”