Kyla Temple wasn’t going to let anything keep her from realizing her goal to play basketball at the next level.
If convincing others she could play basketball in college was part of it, overcoming injuries proved to be a bigger hurdle. Whether it was knee or shoulder injuries, Temple wondered if she ever would be healthy enough to test her skills after high school.
Thanks to persistence and a maturing mental game, Temple realized that goal Thursday when she signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball at East Mississippi Community College in Scooba.
“I really had to work very hard because my knee caused me to miss a lot of games,” Temple said. “I had to learn how to overcome and get in the gym and strengthen my knee. It really helped me do what I need to do so I could keep moving forward. I am not going to let it stop me.”
Columbus High coach Yvonne Hairston said Temple has had to battle back from knee and shoulder injuries since the ninth grade, when she moved up to the varsity team. She said Temple shoots the ball well from the outside, which gives her an advantage over other post players.
“Now that she is getting back healthy, I think she is really going to blossom and bloom when she gets down there,” said Hairston, who had six players from her girls basketball team go on to realize opportunities to play sports in college.
Hairston believes the setbacks served as motivation for Temple to prove people wrong. Temple echoed those sentiments. She said she attended tryouts at Meridian C.C. and Northeast Mississippi C.C. but didn’t receive an opportunity.
“I think her best basketball is yet to come,” Hairston said. “She is going to be able to play some good minutes for coach (Sharon) Thompson.”
Said Temple, “I kept on going and trying different schools. They worked me pretty hard (at EMCC), but I did what I needed to do to get the scholarship.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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