Camden's Kim Frazee always gets her team fired up and is ‘on cloud nine when she scores’

If there's one word that Kim Frazee would use to describe herself, it would be that she's a "baller."

That's what Frazee told Camden girls basketball coach Renee Sutton her freshman year as she was trying to get onto the team.

Loving her energy, Sutton first had Frazee join the team as a manager before handing her the No. 54 jersey shortly thereafter. It's a decision that's made a lasting impact.

Frazee is now a 4-foot, 11-inch junior but she's not exactly like the rest of her teammates. Frazee, who is mentally delayed, says that she processes things at a fifth-grade level.

"When I'm about to go on the court the wheels in my brain are turning and the first thing I do is get a little nervous," Frazee said. "When I get out on the court I get so fired up. I get the ball in the net and all that's going through my mind is 'Oh my gosh. I'm the best baller out there.'"

Win or lose, Sutton says that Frazee keeps the vibe around the team happy. Her love for the game is why Sutton and her assistant coaches decided to surprise Frazee one day during practice with a jersey of her own.

Frazee was obviously excited but Sutton was even more surprised by how the rest of the Lady Lions reacted. 

"It was really sweet how the rest of the girls reacted to it," Sutton said. "They were probably more excited about her playing than she was."

Frazee scored her first basket as a freshman. Moments like Tuesday when Frazee scored the final basket in a blowout win over Waverly have become a common but always welcome moment for the Lady Lions.

“She’s on cloud nine when she scores," Sutton said. "She’s jumping up and down and just really happy about it. She loves to play and loves to be a part of the team. Here lately she hasn’t been satisfied with just sitting there because she wants to be in the game.”

"I get so happy whenever I see one of my shots go in the basket and I tell my team that I love them," Frazee said. "Before the game, I'm the one who gets them fired up and we win because of me."

Teammates call her "Lil Kim," "Kimbo Slice" or "Kimbo the Baller." She has one year of high school basketball left before she enters the next phase of her life. Frazee says that she hopes to go on to college where she wants to study to become a vet or an archaeologist. 

While that's still way out on the horizon, Frazee is more focused on finishing out this season, going to prom this month and then getting back out on the court for her final season as a Lady Lion.

"This has been the greatest experience of my life playing basketball with these girls."

Reach Joe Spears at jspears2@gannett.com or 731-343-4923. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @joe_spears7.