Markeia Porter hasn't been home since the beginning of the school year.
That is typical for a Three Rivers athlete, especially ones from out of the area. Last year, Porter made it home to Louisville, Kentucky, for Thanksgiving and Christmas. She stayed on campus this year for Thanksgiving and is craving her grandmother's ribs, baked beans and potato salad.
"I hope she cooks (during the Christmas break). That's one thing I miss," Porter said.
Porter's grandmother, Brenda Jones, is her No. 1 fan and watches the webcast of every home game, as well as the road games if they're available. It's hard to make the drive from Louisville for a game. Jones, who admits to buying Raider T-shirts, key chains and bull horns to name a few things, has been to five games in person.
Jones' birthday was coming up back in early November and Porter wanted to let her know that she was thinking about her after not seeing each other for months, so she asked Three Rivers play-by-play announcer Roger Burton to send her a birthday shout out during the game, and he did.
"I was glad to know there are people out there listening to what we're trying to do," Burton said. "We want to make the kids more of interest. If they come to me and ask me, I'll do it on the radio, I'll do it on the webcast because it is about them. It made me feel good to know people do listen to them and are concerned about how they're playing."
Porter got back to her room after the game to find a voicemail from her grandma, who cried after hearing the shout out.
"Oh my god, he said my name, he said my name!" Porter remembers her saying. "I called her back. She talked about it for days. It was like the highlight of her week."
Added Jones, "It warms my heart ... For her to be so far away and still thinking about her granny, it is just so wonderful."
The daughter of a single mom, Porter has always lived with her mom but was at her grandma's every day after school and all the time on the weekends. Any time she had a chance she was at grandma's.
When Porter started to become more serious about basketball and the traveling team schedules became more and more time consuming, Jones was along for the ride, sight-seeing major cities and learning about the game, as well.
In those early days, Jones admits she had a lot to learn about the rules, strategy and even terminology. She'd be sitting right behind the bench saying "touchdown."
"Markeia says I'm the loudest person in there," Jones said. "But I'm just so proud."
Added Porter, "Now she thinks she's a basketball guru or something. She thinks she knows everything. You don't get much by her."
Jones lives in the moment during games. She likes to sit behind the bench so she can hear everything, see everything, as close to the action as possible. Porter jokes that when she graduates this May, "She's probably going to cry and walk across with me like she graduated too."
Porter remembers a game back in high school when she hadn't scored by the third quarter and was losing. Grandma was there behind the bench, yelling at her to step up.
"I think the whole gym heard her," Porter said.
But things clicked, Porter turned it on and they won.
Porter's Grandpa Eric, who she affectionately calls Big Papa, is more academic. He likes to sit high up in the stands, the same view as the coaches' tape, and assess Porter's full performance before giving his opinion.
The two switch roles when it comes to Porter's academics. He analyzes every assignment, every grade. Grandma is about the day as a whole and how it went. Between the two of them she can't get away with much.
After Tuesday's 73-72 win over John A. Logan, Porter got back to her room to see a missed call from grandma. It was 11 p.m. when she called her back, midnight in Louisville. She woke grandma up.
Jones told her good job on the rebounds, Porter had 14, one shy of her career best as a Raider. She also had eight points and four assists on 4 for 6 shooting over 28 minutes. It was also her fourth start in a row after previously only coming off the bench as a Lady Raider.
But grandma mostly wanted to talk about those two missed free throws.
With the Raiders down by two with 6 minutes left in the game, Porter stepped to the foul line for the first and only time and missed both. Grandma said she's got to do better there.
The Raiders have three more games before the Christmas break starts. Both Porter and Jones are looking forward to her coming home. It's been hard to be away from each other, but they know it's for the best.
"I think it is driving her crazy. For me, I think it helps me grow up and mature more to be able to be away from home," Porter said of being away.
Jones agreed that it's been hard and that she's been slowly adjusting to it, but she's happy to see Porter following her dream.
The two are on the same page about the Christmas break. Jones plans on cooking all of Porter's favorites. Barbecue ribs, baked beans, potato salad, deviled eggs, the works. They'll think about the future, keep Porter's mind in the right place and keep praying for her.
"That's what grandmother's do," Jones said. "And hug her and kiss her a whole lot."