Kylee Shook has built a legendary resume in her time at Mesa Ridge
COLORADO SPRINGS — State championship? Check. Division I college scholarship? Check. McDonald’s All-American? Check.
So what exactly does Kylee Shook have left to prove in the state of Colorado? At first glance, she’s done it all and she’s done it well.
Since her sophomore year at Mesa Ridge (and even well before that), she has turned heads each time she’s taken the court. The first thing that stands out is her size. At 6-foot-4, she towers over all other players on the floor.
But what makes her special is her ability to play as a guard and 3-pointer shooter as well as an inside post player. It’s a rare site to see in a player.
“I have never seen it with someone who is that accurate from long range,” Mesa Ridge coach Jeff Beatty said. “We played a game a couple days ago where they just let her stand out there and she knocked down seven 3’s. If you don’t guard her on the whole court, she’ll take advantage of wherever you leave her an open spot.”
It’s her ability to play anywhere on the floor that has made her the standout player in this year’s senior class. After several offers and plenty of debate, Shook decided that she wanted to play college ball at Louisville.
At the conclusion of this season, she’ll turn her focus to getting ready to compete at the level. Hopefully at that time she’ll be able to look back and marvel at all she’s accomplished in her time at Mesa Ridge. Among those accolades is being named a McDonald’s All-American, an honor she received on Monday.
“You always have to push and there’s always somebody out there working,” she said. “You have to always be working hard and not slacking off. It’s been enjoyable seeing all the accomplishments I have because it means that my work has paid off, but I have to keep working.”
If Shook is looking at the horizon and wondering just how far her basketball career is going take her, she’s not showing it. Her mind is completely focused on this season and then playing for Louisville.
But the long term prospects of her game cannot escape the eyes of Beatty. He doesn’t just think she play at the college level, he think she can excel at that tier and perhaps even shoot for international play.
“I hope (she becomes) an NCAA champion,” Beatty said. “Louisville’s been there a couple of times in the last four years, maybe she’s what helps them get over that hump. She can play at the highest level. That’s a kid that can end up on an Olympic team. She works that hard.”
For now, she’s putting all that work to help her team win its second state championship in three years. There is little doubt that the Grizzlies are talented enough to once again be the last team standing in Boulder, but Shook knows that nothing is handed out and that, like in 2014, it has to be earned.
“I think it’s all in our effort level,” she said. “It depends on how much time we put in, how much effort we put in and going out every game thinking it could be our last and putting everything out on the court.”
