Photo by Kirk Hockman
By Angela Brunk
Shawnee Heights High School senior Reianna Vega is ready to make her mark this basketball season. A versatile forward/guard for the class of 2026, Vega enters the year with confidence, determination, and clear goals both for herself and her team. Individually, she hopes to average around 15 points per game, while her biggest team goal is to help lead the team to the state tournament.
One matchup Vega has circled on her calendar is against Highland Park, a game that holds extra meaning. “They beat us by a basket to go to state my freshman year,” she recalls. In addition to competitions, this year the team has several new players joining the roster. Vega is also excited to see how the team’s chemistry develops throughout the season.
Vega’s offseason was filled with hard work and competition. Vega attended summer workouts and conditioning and even found creative ways to stay sharp, like playing 1-on-1 games with family members for fun. The dedication has paid off, as her stats from last season speak for themselves. She averaged 11.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.4 steals per game. Those numbers helped earn her Second Team All-UKC honors and a spot among the Top 20 Shawnee County girls’ basketball players. “I’m proud of myself for getting better and better each season,” Vega says.
Outside of basketball, Vega also plays volleyball, showing her athletic versatility. Looking ahead, she plans to attend Washburn University to study and eventually become an orthodontist, pursuing excellence both on and off the court.
