A Knight in training at Central Catholic

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Playing varsity basketball as a freshman is never easy. For Central Catholic's Cameron Onken, year one has been a learning experience.

She's had help along the way from head coach Graig Devault and her teammates. And if six days of basketball a week aren't enough, day seven includes working out with former Miss Basketball and Purdue Boilermaker Brittany Rayburn.

Every Sunday night since July, Brittany Rayburn has worked with Cameron Onken on developing as a basketball player. For Rayburn it's a chance to pay it forward, for Onken, it's a chance to learn from one of the best this area has to offer.

“It's a very cool experience getting to work with her. Being a Big Ten player and holding an NCAA record, it's really comforting knowing that she'll come to my games and she'll tell me what I did wrong and we'll work on it the next time that we come and work together. It really encourages me and boosts my confidence,” said freshman Cameron Onken.

“It's been a lot of fun, its nice being able to help people and the stages that I was at her age. Hopefully she feels freely enough to come and ask me about anything, whether its school, basketball, or life things that get in the way between the two. It's been really fun to mentor somebody of her age and she is a great kid which makes it a lot of fun for me,” said Brittany Rayburn.

The 90 minute workouts include ball handling, passing, shooting and maybe the most important phase of the game, mental focus.

“It's just kind of nice having someone that I can look up to and talk to and not just about basketball. Recruiting and knowing what to expect and anything else that I have a question with she is there to answer it,” said Onken.

“I think that is the toughest part, I think the hardest thing as a kid at her standpoint is seeing the mental aspect of the game is the toughest part. Especially going through the recruiting process is a huge part for a kid at her age and I think that is something that I would have loved to have had,” said Rayburn.

They are basketball junkies, and that common bond is the reason their relationship on the court is so close. 

“Just learning so much from a great player and just having that support to back me up and we always finish our workouts with one on one or horse and then we finish up with half court shots and she usually beats me but the first time I made my first one,” said Onken.