A few weeks ago Rachel Stover, Notre Dame Academy sophomore, created a piece of art featuring Nigel Hayes, a senior basketball player for the Wisconsin Badgers.

Stover chose Nigel Hayes because he is her favorite basketball player.

“I don’t play basketball on a team or anything like that, but I do really like playing it in my driveway with my sister or with friends. I also like watching college basketball on tv and Nigel is my favorite player, so that is why I chose to do him,” said Stover.

The piece of art includes a red background with a black-and-white drawing of Hayes.

“We used a pen and India ink to outline our drawings and markers that came in a range of grays to shade,” stated Stover.

When the piece of art was complete, Stover decided to post it on Twitter.

“On the days when I would bring my picture home to work on, it would sit on my mom’s desk all day, so throughout the day kids would see it as they went in and out of her room. Many people would ask me about it and if I was done with it yet, so when I finished, I decided to post a picture of it on Twitter so people could see the finished product. Before I posted the picture, I tagged Hayes in it so people would know who he was,” said Stover.

About five minutes later Hayes himself “liked” the post on Twitter.

“I was so happy and excited. I told my mom about it, and she thought it was cool. Then throughout the day, I told lots of my friends too, and they were all very excited for me, especially my friends who like or play basketball. When I told my sister when we got home that night she was a little jealous, but she got over it eventually and thought it was cool too,” said Stover.

Later that day Nigel’s dad “liked” it, and the following day his mom also “liked” the picture.

“His mom liking the picture topped off the whole thing for me since Nigel loves his mom so much, and she is his whole world,” said Stover.

Overall Stover agreed that all the hard work and time she put into the drawing was worth it.

“Nigel Hayes is someone I watch on tv, and to think about all of the people in the world that know his name, and now he knows of mine is crazy,” said Stover.

Hayes will probably go to the NBA next year.  “To say that a pro basketball player liked my tweet of a drawing of him is cool. I think the only thing that could top it would be meeting him,” she said.

One of the last to learn of the tweet was Stover’s mom, Spanish teacher Amy Stover.

“I was caught off guard because other students told me about it first.  I didn’t know that Rachel tweeted her picture, much less that she tagged Nigel Hayes in the tweet,” said Mrs. Stover.  “I was happy and excited for her.  I sent a text to her dad right away and told him that Rachel had something really exciting to share with him.”