Emma Fenley – Quitman (501 Basketball Team 2025)

It feels like yesterday when Emma Fenley started playing basketball as a third grader for Quitman. With the Bulldogs senior girls’ basketball team as her role models, she dreamed of dazzling her home crowd on game nights.

Fast forward to today, where, as a senior for the Bulldogs, Fenley’s career has come full circle. Selected as team captain, the two-year starter embraces her role with pride.

“Being a leader means staying true to yourself,” Fenley said. “As Coach Hooten tells us, it’s not about who starts, it’s about who finishes. This season, we’re learning to play together as a team, celebrating each other’s successes and working toward winning a state championship.”

Following a first-round loss in last year’s state tournament, she and the Bulldogs have emerged as the top dogs in the mighty Class 5-2A conference. “Emma is respected by her teammates,” Quitman Head Coach Timothy Hooten said.

“She leads by example, shares the ball and has added a new dimension to her game by improving her driving skills to complement her three-point shooting abilities.”

“I want to be remembered as a dependable player,” Fenley said. “I want to be the one the coach wants on the floor in close games.”

Off the court, she plays softball, runs cross country and track and field, and is involved with Beta Club, FCCLA, FFA, 4H and Student Leadership at Quitman.

 After graduation, she will attend Central Baptist College in Conway as a pitcher for Mustangs softball while pursuing a bachelor’s degree 

in health science.