Columbus High School girls basketball player Kiandria Patterson has a busy senior year lined up.
Patterson plans to do her best in the classroom, to graduate from high school, and to find a place to play college basketball.
Oh yes, there is some unfinished business about the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A state championship.
The Lady Falcons fell short of that goal this past season, losing in the North State semifinals. Patterson and her teammates plan on doing much better next time.
“With so many seniors, next year has to be our year,” Patterson said. “We are going to work so hard this summer doing the extra little things. We know this is our last chance, so we have to make it a special year.”
Still, the 2011-12 season was a success, as the Lady Falcons won a region championship and finished 25-3. Patterson averaged 20.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. While backing up preseason All-State honors with another monster year, Patterson capped her junior year as The Dispatch’s Large Schools co-Player of the Year.
“Kiki had to step up and play the point guard position this year,” Columbus coach Yvonne Hairston said, “so she had to change her game and go from being a shooting guard to being the point guard. She did what we wanted her to do. She distributed the ball. She did things I was very impressed with.
“To be able to take over the game and control the game are two of her bigger character strengths. She could control the tempo, yet at the same time, she knew when we had to have a play.”
Patterson feels she quickly grew into her new position and played a key role in the Lady Falcons’ success.
“The chemistry on our team was very good,” Patterson said. “We only had two seniors on the team, so mainly it was up to the juniors to really help carry the team. As this team grew and matured, we knew what to do and what not to do. At the same time, we never quit learning.
“I think it is important for a basketball team to stay hungry. You always have to keep working hard at it. No one is perfect, so there are always ways you can find to be better. That is what we did this summer getting ready for next season. Our job is to find ways to be better.”
Hairston expects Patterson to make another leap as she transitions into a senior.
“She has grown and matured every basketball season,” Hairston said. “She has a great work ethic. Each year, she works at getting better, so I expect her normal maturity to go along with the growth at her new position. We will be a senior-dominated team, and I expect some really special things.”
Columbus appeared to be in cruise control this past season before it suffered a humbling loss to Hattiesburg in December. That 41-point loss reminded the squad of the hard work necessary to become a state champion.
“We hit a hard place in December,” Patterson said. “The question was how do you respond to that? Really, no loss is a good loss. However, I thought it really helped put our attitude in check. It was right before district play started. We learned from it and made it a positive.”
Staying centered has been an important part of Patterson’s game. As postseason honors accumulate, she knows how her play affects her teammates and her team.
“My teammates are the main reason why I play the game,” Patterson said. “It has helped me form friendships that will last a lifetime. It is not about the points to me; it is all about building the friendships and working together as a team for a common goal.
“Basically, I am the best player on the floor in any situation. My love for the game and my teammates is what keeps me centered. Each day, I want to do something that will help myself grow as a player but will also help my team be the best it can be.”
Patterson began playing basketball when she was 3 years old. In her early years, older brother Quinten played a major influence on her game. Quinten passed away when Patterson was in fourth grade. While it took some time to bounce back from that loss, her father, Mark, stepped in and made sure her love for the game continued to grow.
“My brother (Quinten) did so much for me. He meant a lot to me,” Patterson said. “My father has also played a major role in my career. He has been the biggest influence on my training, whether it is going to camps or playing AAU ball, he has always been there for me.”
Mark Patterson and Hairston each will take on bigger roles in the year ahead as colleges begin to recruit Patterson in earnest. More than 10 colleges already are recruiting Patterson.
“This is Kiki’s senior year, and I really want her to enjoy it,” Hairston said. “There so many things about your senior year that are special and that have nothing to do with basketball. Her dad has always been involved in her career. We are going to work together to keep the pressure off Kiki.
“I just want her to relax, make good grades, play well, and enjoy her senior year. Anything I can do as a coach to make sure that happens is what I am going to do.”
As someone who will be a senior leader on the 2012-13 team, Patterson said Hairston will help set the example she hopes to help set for younger players.
“Coach Hairston wants 110 percent from you. That’s the bottom line,” Patterson said. “She is a perfectionist and she always feels like there is something to work on. You feel motivated and you want to give you best because you know that you are going to get her best.”
Giving 110 percent will be a theme this year for the Lady Falcons. Patterson is already enjoying the recruiting process. She wants her next basketball-playing home to be similar to the one she will leave next year.
“In college, I want a team that is down to earth just like me,” Patterson said. “That is what I have here in high school. Everybody likes to work. Everybody gets along. Everybody pushes one another to be the best. Finding a team just like that is what I want to find on the next level.”
First, though, the Lady Falcons have some unfinished business.
“You always want to be the best,” Patterson said. “That means you have something to work on. You are always hungry. I am hungry because my goal is get a full-paid scholarship to college. The recruiting process is a little bit crazy. So many people are coming at you, wanting a piece of your time. It can be demanding but it can also be fun.”
Demanding and fun could also be used to describe a quest for a state championship. For the Lady Falcons, now is the time.
“Since most of the team will be seniors, this is our last go-around,” Patterson said. “Every day during the offseason our motto has been ‘Be the best team in Mississippi.’ We are running out of time. We don’t want next season to end the way last season did.”
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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