Coach Young and the Restless

The Taylor Young era of Kingfisher High School girls basketball is officially - and finally - underway.

The Lady Jackets opened their 2021-22 season Friday at Chisholm (after this edition went to press).

It was the team’s first game under Young, who was hired in April to succeed Gerrett Spears after his two-year tenure.

“Becoming a head coach has always been a dream of mine,” said Young in April. “We have a lot of work to do, so I’m ready to get started.”

It’s been nothing but work since then...seven months of it.

Practice. Camps. Scrimmages.

But no games...until Friday night.

Young came to Kingfisher after five years as an assistant (four at Bishop McGuinness and last year at Edmond Santa Fe). That followed a highly-successful playing career of her own that included a pair of state championships in high school and a collegiate career that finished up at Texas A&M.

Her pedigree as a player and coach was a big reason she was hired, said KHS Principal and Athletic Director Jay Wood.

“Everywhere she has been from high school to college to assistant stops, she has been around great coaches, great people and great programs,” said Wood, himself a former KHS girls coach.

“She knows what it takes to win and be successful.”

Now Young’s task is to turn one of the state’s more historic programs back into a perennial title contender.

Kingfisher owns four state championships, the last of which was won in 2000.

The Lady Jackets have reached state 25 times, but not since 2009.

The team went 14-9 last season and advanced to the first round of area.

That team’s leading scorer and rebounder - Allison Green - is back for her senior campaign and will be a three-year starter.

“She is our most experienced player and we will look to her for contributions in multiple ways offensively and most importantly on the defensive end of the floor,” said Young of Green, who averaged 12.1 points and 4.8 rebounds a game.

Rayland Garner missed her junior season with a torn ACL after starting as a sophomore. She is now back in the lineup for KHS.

“Her physical game inside and ability to rebound the basketball will be what we look forward to adding back to our team this year,” Young said.

Peyton Walker averaged 4.9 points, 2.7 assists and 2.8 steals a game as a freshman in 2020-21.

“She will run the show for us offensively at the point guard position and, in my opinion, is arguably one of the best point guards in 4A,” Young said.

Emily Myers added 7.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists during her sophomore year and Addy Matthews came off the bench to score 3.1 points a contest as a freshman.

“They will both play multiple positions for us and will make vital contributions on both ends of the floor,” Young said.

Young added that she expects important contributions to come from the likes of Makina Frost, who returns to the team as a senior after not playing her junior year, junior Mya Dewberry and freshman Raegan Snider.

While Green led the team in scoring last year - and very well could this season - Young said several Lady Jackets are capable of stepping up.

“I really believe that on any given night we could have five to six different players that could lead our team in scoring,” she said.

Meanwhile, Young said she’s seen the most off-season improvement on the defensive end.

“We are out pressuring the basketball and getting into passing lanes which was new to our girls when I got here,” she said. “They have all been great in terms of adjusting to our new style of play and their ability to take hard coaching.”

Young has also worked to put her own stamp on the program.

“We have been working on instilling a culture of toughness, discipline, hard work, accountability, respect and competing in everything we do,” Young said.

She’s seen progress there as well.

“I’ve seen some improvements in the toughness of our girls when they step out onto the floor,” Young said. “Loose balls or 50/50 balls are always expected to be ours.”

KHS started the season ranked No. 12 in 4A.

The Lady Jackets host top-ranked and defending state champion Tuttle on Tuesday before playing in both the Cleveland and Mustang Holiday Classic tournaments before the end of the month.

Then it’s time to jockey for position for the playoff push.

“We have a tough December schedule so I’m excited to see how we will respond,” Young said. “Our expectations are to go out and compete every single game. If we go out and compete every game, everything else will take care of itself.”