Then Fifth-grader Yeiry Zamudio spent her week on the court, desperate to distract herself. Her dad had been in the hospital for weeks, but she smiled as she climbed into her mom’s car this time – they planned to visit him today.

Then, her world stopped.

“Your dad passed away,” Yeiry’s mom said.

Yeiry returned to the court that week but felt different. She shot the ball, and it swished through the net.

“I have to be the best for him and for my family,” Yeiry said.

Now a senior, Yeiry shoots to honor her family in college this August, after signing to Angelina College April 15, topping off a record-setting year as basketball team captain.

“I just want to give back to my mom and give back to my people that have always been there and supported me through everything,” Yeiry said. “They’ve just been there through everything.”

Family Ties

The Zamudios moved from Mexico to the U.S. in 2001. While she was born in Texas, Yeiry visited Mexico every summer, where her cousins and uncles ran charity basketball tournaments.

“I saw how they’re really competitive,” Yeiry said. “I want to be really competitive too. Now, I’m competitive in everything. Like even in school, like I would try to do the hardest work, just like, be the best.”

Yeiry had yet to join an official team, but her mom – Vivian Zamudio – encouraged her. Where Vivian Zamudio inspired Yeiry, her dad – Javiar Zamudio – was her safe space.

“I was so attached to him,” Yeiry said. “I would go to work with him when I was little. I was the one that was always with him. I was a daddy’s girl – just always with him.”

Yeiry lost her safe space in November 2018, after doctors diagnosed Javier Zamudio with a liver illness that Yeiry thinks related to drinking. Yeiry remained optimistic.

“We would cheer him on,” Yeiry said. “Like, ‘Oh, you got this.’ We wouldn’t think the worst. But then he just started getting really, really skinny and it was just getting worse and worse.”

Vivian Zamudio raised donations to cover Javier Zamudio’s hospital bills, but his stays grew from a day, to a week, to two weeks. Then, in March 2019, Javiar Zamudio died in the hospital.

“It was just the worst moment of my life,” Yeiry said. “I was like ‘I can’t believe that. That’s not true.’ I got home, and I was like, ‘My dad has to be at my house. That’s not true.’”

Reformed

“It helped me to just get away,” Yeiry said. “Not to forget my dad, but be active and be, keep my mind on something else than just be in my room depressed and crying over my dad.”

Yeiry found new stability with her older sister, Keily Zamudio, as their mom worked. Keily took over as Yeiry’s mentor, funding and driving her to basketball camps and tournaments.

“I want her to do good,” Keily said. “I didn’t have that growing up. I had to figure out everything by myself. But I put myself through college and all the things. So I try to speak life into her and tell her ‘You can do this. You can get a scholarship.’”

Keily graduated – as the first in her family – from Sam Houston State University with a bachelors in Nursing and now works as a pediatric nurse. Since then, Keily’s become Yeiry inspiration to make her mom proud.

“(Keily has) always been like a good role model,” Yeiry said. “Ever since my dad passed away, she’s always helped my mom. I want to do that. Like, I want to give back to my mom, since she’s always been there for us. She’s never given up since my dad died.”

Commitment

Following the thing she knew best, Yeiry hoped to repay her mom on the joined Moorhead Junior High basketball team. Yeiry’s drive caught the Amateur Athletics Union’s attention that year, who

then recruited her. 

Yeiry said AAU marked a turning point for her.

‘“I was like, ‘I have to be better. I have to be good for next year. I have to be good for next year,’” Yeiry said. “So I just started playing basketball even by myself – It’s just the way I love basketball.”

Yeiry spent every day practicing on the court, and when she wasn’t shooting, she was weight lifting. Her dedication grew for both her mom’s attention and the increasing competition at the high school level.

“She’s one of those few kids that really just wanted to work every day,” Head Girls Basketball Coach Saijon Blackwell said. “It didn’t matter what it was. No matter what I threw at her, she was somebody that always just rose to the occasion and didn’t complain.”

Yeiry made UIL’s Second All-District team as a junior, despite breaking her foot that year, then set the school record for most points scored in one game this year alongside winning the Houston Chronicle’s player of the week.

Another Reason

Yeiry’s skill carried to Mexico too, as she went undefeated last summer in local tournaments. She said her family’s compliments made recognize her own talent, but she credited them.

“They supported me through everything, like, everything,” Yeiry said. “I feel like I have a really good, like, bond with my family, and I love these people to death. They’ve always been there through everything.”

Yeiry’s uncles said she had the potential to play on the Mexico national team, and Angelina College coaches agreed during a basketball camp Keily funded.

But as scouts noticed Yeiry, she saw the underclassmen that looked up to her. Her mom and sister’s supported her bled into Yeiry’s team-captain leadership.

“(I always tried to) remind them how capable they were,” Yeiry said. “Being in that leadership role shaped me into a more confident and supportive person both on and off the court.

Without realizing, Yeiry’s inspiration spread outside the team. Yeiry only noticed after the mother of a middle school player spoke with Yeiry.  

“Her mom said, ‘She loves how you play and stuff,” Yeiry said.  “I was like, ‘That makes me feel good.’ You know, I think that’s sometimes why I love playing basketball so much, too.”

At that moment, Yeiry’s found another reason to love basketball. Now, as she goes to  Angelina College, Yeiry plays for more than her mom’s attention.

“I want to look good for everybody,” Yeiry said. “I just want to be the best. I want to be known by a lot of people. I want to be peoples’ motivation. I want to inspire people.”

Editors Note: The lead’s wording was updated for clarity.