ROCKINGHAM – D’Nautica Everett, a senior on the Richmond Senior High School boys’ bowling team, has been named the Official Richmond County Male Athlete of the Week.
The Richmond bowling team is ramping up for its individual tournament, which is set for Thursday, Feb. 7, in Aberdeen. Everett will join the Raiders in the qualifying round for the state championship, as his season of success looks to continue. This is Everett’s first career Official Richmond County Male Athlete of the Week selection.
Athletic Profile
Age: 18
Birthday: June 7, 2000
Year: Senior
Winter Sport: Bowling
Position: No. 5 Bowler
Years on Varsity: 1 year
“STRIKING THE FACTS” WITH D’NAUTICA EVERETT
RSHS Academics: Everett just started his final semester as a Richmond student. His only class this semester is English IV with Ms. Kelly Donham. The other three blocks during his school day are spent working with Richmond’s School-to-Work program.
Everett helps out at Professional Cutz, which is owned by RSHS assistant principal Alan Parker. While there, he “helps out around the shop,” taking care of small jobs and keeping the barber shop clean.
Last semester, Everett said he made the A/B honor roll, and that his favorite class he’s had was physical education with Coach Andy Shuler. He called Coach Shuler “a really good guy” and noted he enjoyed his class.
“I like Richmond because I’m always meeting new people and making new friends,” Everett said. “I also like my English class because I like to read sometimes, and Ms. Kelly is funny.”
Hobbies: When he’s not at school and work, Everett most enjoys playing video games on his PlayStation 4. Some of his favorite games to play are Madden, NBA 2K and golf, as well as Grand Theft Auto. Another hobby of his is “hanging out with cousins,” explaining he values spending time with family.
Everett also has a strong interest in his church life, often attending McCormick’s Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Red Springs.
“I like listening to the preacher, who is my grandpa,” Everett explained. “I try to help out as best I can making sure the pulpit is clean and helping people when they get to church.”
College Aspirations: Set to graduate in June, Everett is “still thinking” about where he’d like to go to college. But one thing that he’s certain of is what he wants to do — become a police officer and a preacher.
“I’ve always wanted to be a preacher because my grandpa is one,” Everett said. “I have learned a lot from him and I think I’d be good at preaching. And I want to be a police officer because my uncle is one and I want to help people and protect them.”
D’Nautica Everett in action earlier this season.
Athlete of the Week Stats: Bowling is the only sport Everett has played while a student at Richmond, and expressed he wished he’d found it sooner. As the playoffs start a week from Thursday, Everett’s season reaches its pinnacle, something that didn’t seem certain in the early going.
At the start of the season, since he was new to the sport, Everett wasn’t qualifying as one of Richmond’s top eight bowlers, which meant he didn’t get to bowl in the meets. But sometime before Christmas, he started practicing on his own time and eventually made his way into the starting rotation.
Last Thursday in the team’s regular season finale, the Raiders swept Hoke County and Seventy-First high schools. Everett turned out to be the day’s leading Raider bowler, as he closed out 57 percent of his frames (16-for-28).
He bowled a total of four strikes, and picked up four more spares. Head coach Ralph Butler said many of his spares and strikes “came in big situations,” as the Raiders won both matches by a final score of 4-1. During the third game against the Falcons, Everett bowled two strikes in his two frames.
RAPID FIRE – FAST RESPONSES
1) What do you enjoy most about being on the bowling team?
“I’m out here with my friends, like Tyler Bass and Evan Hudson,” Everett shared. “We met in tenth grade, and they’re both really good guys. We’re always laughing and joking at bowling practice.”
2) Describe what you’re thinking about when you’re bowling? What made you so successful last week?
“I always hope I do a good job and make strikes,” he said. “Sometimes I feel pressure when I’m bowling, so talk to myself and pray that I’ll do a good job.
“I’ve been coming to practice on Sundays by myself and have been trying to get better,” Everett added. “Right now I’m on a roll and I just want to keep riding it.”
3) Who is someone who has impacted your life positively such as a mentor, teacher or coach?
“My mom, Monique Covington, and my grandma, Beverly Covington,” Everett said. “They both help me when I have questions about things, and they are always there for me. They support me when I bowl and cheer me on, and always tell me I do a good job.”
4) If you could choose one superpower to have, what would it be and why?
“I’d want to have fire power,” he smiled. “I just like the idea of it. My favorite superheros are Batman and Iron Man, so it would also be cool to be able to do the things they can do.”
5) Name an interesting fact about yourself that many people may not know about you.
“I collect toy cars, like Hot Wheels,” Everett concluded. “I started when I was really little, and I mostly collect police cars, Mustangs, Chargers and Camaros. My cousin had some and I started collecting them, too. They’re still in their cases and I want to hold onto them and keep collecting them.”
Coach’s Corner: Butler is also in his first year with the Richmond bowling program, and highlighted Everett’s ability to be a team player, while also improving on a weekly basis.
“Early in the year he wasn’t qualifying, but he really loved the sport and wanted to get his average up,” Butler said. “He’s continued to do well and in the matches he turns it on when he goes to compete and bowls really well. Now he’s hitting some big strikes for us like he did last week.
“D’Nautica is an awesome kid,” he closed. “He’s very team-oriented and always texts the team in the group text to wish everyone good luck, even when he wasn’t bowling. He has a great attitude and has worked really hard and put in the extra time to get better.”
