The Highland High School senior had a full range of emotions flowing through her body when she heard the news.
Hemerka, who has cerebral palsy -- a disorder usually caused by brain damage occurring at or before birth and marked by muscular impairment -- has been a manager and student assistant coach for the Highland girls' basketball team the past four years.
She's seen a lot of special moments and a ton of good basketball played at the school. But last Tuesday when the Tartans played Pitman in their final home game of the season, Hemerka got to live out her own special moment in the Highland gymnasium.
With members of her family in the stands watching and dozens of fans and friends cheering her on, Hemerka was allowed to score the first basket of the game.
"I didn't find out about it until right before the game," Hemerka said. "I actually wanted to turn around, run back to the car and leave. I was a little nervous but excited."
The plan to have Hemerka score the first basket was hatched by Tartans' coach Dan McGettigan, who is no stranger to the Hemerka family. McGettigan, who's been the head girls' basketball coach at Highland for 12 seasons, coached Hemerka's two older sisters, Denise and Danielle.
"I've known DJ since she was in kindergarten," McGettigan said. "I told her that I wish she could play. She would be a super player because she has so much heart and determination. I had been thinking about (letting her score a basket) all year."
So with the help and cooperation of the Panthers, the Tartans controlled the opening jump ball. And after a few dribbles the ball was in the hands of Hemerka, who made the basket on her fourth attempt. In exchange for its generosity, Pitman was allowed an uncontested basket moments later to tie the score at two.
"I'm a perfectionist and I was getting frustrated because the ball wasn't going in at first," Hemerka said. "'But it allowed me to think of an excuse. And I just said that I was padding my offensive rebounding stats to make sure we had the lead for a little while longer since we weren't supposed to win the game."
Throughout the past four years, Hemerka has been an inspiration to the team, often giving advice and offering words of encouragement before games. And while the Tartans didn't win as many games as they would have liked this season, players said Hemerka's presence around the team as well as the never-ending smile on her face helped keep morale high.
"'Before each home game, DJ would give us some inspiration," senior Hillary Davala said. "We could always go to her for words of encouragement. She would always try to help us even though she couldn't be on the floor with us."
And while Hemerka's special night will never be forgotten, McGettigan plans to ensure that anyone visiting Highland in the future will know and understand exactly what Hemerka meant not only to the girls' basketball program, but to the school and community in general.
In the big display case outside of the gym, McGettigan plans to put the ball Hemerka scored with on display next to her older sister Danielle's ball for 1,000 career points. Danielle Hemerka is a senior playing at Davidson College.
"We're going to put the ball from that game as close to Danielle's 1,000-point ball as possible," McGettigan said. "It'll have the date on it and it'll say "The Greatest Two Points in Highland History' or "The Greatest Two Points in Tartans History.' I haven't decided yet."
Davala said seeing Hemerka score the basket was the highlight of the season for the Tartans.
"We didn't win as many games as we wanted, but seeing DJ score was bigger than any win we could have had," Davala said.
Through everything she's experienced in her life, Hemerka hopes others will be inspired by her story. And the message she wants to give is simple.
"I've seen some great basketball come through Highland," Hemerka said. "And to have my ball sitting in that trophy case, that just shows that anyone can do anything if you try."
