Palmetto Ridge basketball player perseveres despite condition

NAPLES, Fla. — Kasie Ream had a secret dream.

The Palmetto Ridge High School student longed to be on the school’s basketball team.

After confiding in a family member, it wasn’t long before she began inspiring others to do what they thought they can’t.

“She really encourages us to go beyond our limits and play,” said Maria Arguello, Ream’s teammate on the school’s junior varsity squad.

Ream made the team this fall despite having Turner’s syndrome, which causes developmental and behavioral difficulties. Turner’s syndrome affects one in 2,500 girls worldwide and is due to a missing X chromosome.

Ream didn’t let her condition stop her from playing the sport she loves.

“It seemed like it would be fun to play it once I thought about it,” she said.

Ream has found fun — and success. She’s developed a shooting touch, and Brandon Jones, her coach, gives her the green light.

“She now knows she can do anything and she feels empowered,” he said. “She feels accepted and it’s just made her grow into an amazing young woman and I’m so proud of her.”

Ream aspires to make the varsity team next season, play in college and eventually in the WNBA.