‘What I came here to do.’ One of UK’s most influential athletes leading despite setback.
When Nyah Leveretter was first learning to write a sentence in elementary school, one of her earliest sentences was, “When I grow up, I want to be the weather woman.”
“But it was spelled like ‘WAMAN,’” Leveretter laughed. “Because I didn’t know how to spell. But I think I always just knew I wanted to be on TV. I want to be talking. It pushes me out of my comfort zone.”
Now wrapping up her junior year in the UK School of Journalism and Media where she’s pursuing a bachelor of arts degree in broadcast journalism — and her third season on the women’s basketball team — Leveretter no longer aspires to work in meteorology. She’s making moves all over the country in pursuit of her goal to become a sports broadcaster.
Inspired by women like Elena Delle Donne, Maria Taylor, Malika Andrews and Andraya Carter, Leveretter holds many roles — each of them impacting far more than just the Kentucky women’s basketball team.
In her junior season with the Wildcats, she made 21 starts in 26 games prior to tearing the ACL in her right knee in a Feb. 19 loss at Vanderbilt. Before her season came to an end, Leveretter averaged career highs in both points (2.5) and rebounds (3.9) per game.
Last summer, she did an externship at the SEC Studios in Charlotte, N.C. And, in early April she narrated an SEC commercial ahead of the NCAA basketball national championship games.
Leveretter earned spots on the SEC Academic Honor Roll in both 2021 and 2022, she was named to the SEC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Leadership Council for the 2022-23 school year. Leveretter was also named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team and was inducted this year into Kentucky’s prestigious Frank G. Ham Society of Character.
She will also serve as the vice president for UK’s CATS Student-Athlete Advisory Committee next year.
However, her most recent accolade stands in a category all its own. Leveretter, alongside Texas A&M swimmer Carter Nelson, represented the SEC at the 2023 NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum in Baltimore from April 13-16.
There, she learned both from and with her peers about how to lead to the best of their abilities as student-athletes and make lifelong connections with other change-makers around the NCAA.
“This forum made me step outside my box of comfort and pushed me to be more vulnerable,” Leveretter wrote in an Instagram post about the experience. “More inclusive, and more emotionally aware, which wasn’t easy but definitely worth it. It forced me to reflect how my habits reflect my goals and leadership traits. All I want to do is use my platform, experience, and knowledge to help guide others and pave the way to success for myself as well.”
The forum also affords the opportunity to consider other perspectives and issues in the lives of student-athletes.
Leveretter is passionate about expanding that conversation, emphasizing the importance of viewing them as more than just athletes.
“My biggest thing,” Leveretter said. “Is that so many people see athletes as just athletes, and there’s so much more that we’re doing off the court, or off the field or whatever respective sport you play. There’s community service, there’s learning how to be a leader. There’s whatever job you want to do. There’s so many other avenues besides the sport that you’re playing that sometimes isn’t brought to attention to other people.”
‘The hardest thing I’ve been through’
For Leveretter, the recognition she receives for her efforts and leadership allow her to appreciate how hard she’s worked.
“It means a lot,” Leveretter said. “And there’s days where, you know, I’m like, ‘Oh, I really don’t want to do this’ or ‘I’m so tired’ or ‘I’m worn out,’ but those moments make it worth it because not everybody can do this at this level. And so, for me to understand that I’m doing this at this level, and then still taking care of school and still just becoming a better leader, it means a lot to me.”
Since dedicating herself to rehab and recovery following a surgery to repair her ACL in early March, Leveretter said that she’s had several days where the work has felt overwhelming.
“It’s a lot tougher than I expected,” Leveretter said. “I mean, it’s just one of those things, you see other people get injured and then people are like, ‘Oh, they’re praying for you. It’s gonna be a tough time, but you’ll get through it.’ But you don’t really understand until you’re going through it. I’m a really positive person, but I’ve had my fair share of breakdowns. This is probably the hardest thing I’ve been through, honestly.”
Her positivity has made a mark on the basketball team, and UK trainer Courtney Jones commended Leveretter for just how badly she wants to improve.
“Nyah comes to rehab every day with a positive attitude and a focused mindset toward getting healthy,” Jones said. “She still has a long way to go to get back to the court, but she just keeps on working toward getting a little bit better each day.”
‘1% better each day’
Leveretter — who was raised by Simquita, a teacher, and Barry Leveretter, U.S. Army Retired-turned Army JROTC Instructor — has lived her entire life with structure. She is more than comfortable with routine and hard work.
In addition to her recovery, Leveretter is focusing on how she can further step up as a leader. Next season, she will be a necessary veteran voice on a Kentucky team that struggled to find its footing in a difficult 12-19 (2-14 SEC) season.
According to UK assistant coach Jen Hoover, Leveretter has everything necessary to be that voice.
“Nyah is a natural leader that others follow,” Hoover said. “From the day I stepped on campus, I have been impressed with her infectious personality and her high character. She is a hard worker, energetic and determined young lady. She is so much more than a great teammate, she is a phenomenal representative of UK Athletics and all that it means to be a Wildcat. She exemplifies servant leadership and has exceptional time management skills. It is so impressive how intentional and passionate she is about her involvement in UK Athletics, the SEC and her communities. Nyah has and will continue to take full advantage of all the opportunities that she has earned, I could not be more proud of her!”
And, though this past season didn’t turn out how the team wanted it to, Leveretter believes it provided her and her teammates a better understanding of what’s needed to find success after the disappointing year.
“After last season,” Leveretter said. “We just understand, if we want more we’re gonna have to work harder, and we’re gonna have to be more intentional and just more focused. I feel like that’s the goal this year. We don’t want to be where we were before. We just want to go up from there. So, I feel like everybody’s taking the approach like now in the postseason more seriously, and we have the right mindset just to be better.”
Leveretter said UK head coach Kyra Elzy often discusses the importance of being “just 1% better each day” to the culture of the program. According to Leveretter, the team knows that the goal won’t be achieved overnight. But, similar to her achievements in the classroom, around the community and related to her career goals, it’s the dedication and support that matter most.
There are still several question marks surrounding next season’s roster, what with the transfer portal entries of Jada Walker, soon headed to Baylor, and freshman Kennedy Cambridge, as well as the graduations of Adebola Adeyeye, Robyn Benton and Blair Green.
“We have to push each other,” Leveretter said. “It can’t just all come from (Elzy). You know me, Maddie (Scherr). Blair is gone now. Robyn is gone now. Other people have to step up and push the team. And then, even for me, it looks different this year just because of my injury. But I can still do some of those things, too. So, just pushing the team and coming in there every day and working hard. It’ll lead to a better outcome.”
There is no specific timetable for Leveretter’s return to the court, but she’s confident that she is working through it — and pursuing her goals — exactly where she’s supposed to be.
“(I’m) having those opportunities because I’m here at this school,” Leveretter said. “That’s what I came here to do. And I’m just really excited about that. Because I feel like I’m meeting the right people, having the right opportunities and taking advantage of them so I can do what I want to do.”
