Loving each other. Serving each other. Caring for each other. They are the three pillars in which the West Texas A&M women’s basketball team is built upon.
Experience is another factor on why WT has been successful, boasting a 26-3 overall record with an 18-2 mark within the Lone Star Conference. The Lady Buffs’ success on the hardwood has been spearheaded by Wellington native Kyla Kane.
Thus far this season, Kane has registered 324 points and averaged 13 points per showing. She has also compiled 33 assists, 21 steals and 18 blocks, alongside her 92 percent from the charity stripe.
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In her four years of wearing the maroon and white uniform, Kane has played in 121 career games, amassing 1,217 total points.
The triple threat of camaraderie, experience and chemistry has been the recipe for success. Kane and her teammates are also eager to prove themselves following a victory in the NCAA Division II South Central Regionals last year.
“We brought back a lot of returners,” Kane said. “We all have the same goal, and we’re striving towards more (postseason victories). I believe that and the close bond that we have together off of the court has been instrumental to our success.”
Kane has come a long way since she was a freshman, following her tenure as a four-year starter with the Lady Skyrockets.
“(The experience) has built a lot of confidence in me,” Kane said. “The coaches have built confidence within me, and my teammates always have my back, believe in me and have confidence in me.”
According to Presley Kane, younger sister and sophomore guard for the Lady Buffs, Kyla has evolved into a stellar figure away from the bright lights of the First United Bank Center.
“I’ve looked up to her since I was a little kid,” said Presley. “She’s become a bigger and better person. She’s grown as an athlete, grown in her faith and she’s just awesome.”
Complementing Kane has been junior forward Taylor Haggan, who leads WT on the glass with 177 total boards. Before transferring in, Haggan played against Kane while at St. Mary’s.
“I’ve seen her take her role and grow with it,” Haggan said. “I’ve always thought that was impressive. She’s gotten better, and has such a different skill set and style, compared to when I first played her. That’s been really cool to see.”
The main person who has seen Kane’s development firsthand has been WT head coach Josh Prock.
“If you were to look up ‘Lady Buff basketball player’ in the dictionary, you’d probably see Kyla Kane,” Prock said. “She exudes everything that you want to see in a Lady Buff, and represents the three pillars of our program in a first class manner every day. She’s a young lady that you hope your kids grow into. I hope that my three children become like her, who can lead a team in the right direction.”
In the summer of 2021, Prock said that Kyla had one clear goal when linking arms with the Lady Buffs.
“When she first called me to commit, she said, ‘hey coach, I want to come to WT and be one of the first classes to take (the Lady Buffs) to a national championship,” said Prock. “She hasn’t forgotten that. We’ll see how this year plays out, but she’s one of those kids who likes to follow through on her commitments — and she’s proven that everyday.”
Kyla isn’t alone. Not only does she have Haggan pulling down rebounds, she also has senior guard Randi Harding, grad transfers Kenadee Winfrey and Karley Motschenbacher, senior Chloe Callahan, teammate Zoey McBroom, teammate Claire Graham, sophomore Taytum Bell and freshman Henley West. Through that depth, the Lady Buffs can provide different looks on the floor.
“A lot of us are versatile,” said Kyla. “I think that’s what makes us so special. We can all do more than one thing, which makes us hard to stop. We keep the rotations going.”
Haggan echoed her senior leader.
“There are so many girls who have so many pieces of them that are just so inspiring,” Haggan said.
The first step in the Lady Buffs’ quest for postseason glory begins with the LSC Women’s Basketball Championship tournament, slated for this weekend at the Comerica Center in Frisco. In the quarterfinals, No. 2-seed WT will clash with seventh-seeded St. Mary’s at 2:30 p.m. on Friday.
Should the Lady Buffs advance past the Rattlers and the winner between UT Tyler and Angelo State on Saturday, they’ll most likely challenge No. 1-ranked (WBCA) Texas Woman’s for the title at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. For Kyla and her teammates, it’s all about handling the Rattlers and their Saturday opponent first.
“We got to win our first two games before making it to the championship,” Kyla said. “We’ve never actually won a tournament game since I’ve been here. That’s something we’re eager to do. To go through and sweep would be awesome, because then, we would have a chance of hosting the regional. That’s something that’s in the back of all of our minds, and we’re looking forward to doing that.”
For Haggan, the open secret to reclaiming WT’s first LSC title since 2022 is to maintain that unity, even through adversity.
“We have to stay together, through the ups and downs,” said Haggan. “Now, it’s one game at a time. They’re looking at our film, and there are things that are going to go wrong. Staying together is going to be key, along with learning from our opponents that we’ve beaten and lost to. We need to learn what we did right, learning what we did wrong, making sure we just fix those things and put our best foot forward.”
Energy, effort and enthusiasm are aspects of what Prock has been preaching all season, alongside his three pillars. He wants those facets to continue into the conference tournament, the final leg of the basketball marathon.
Prock’s overall goal is to keep his players playing for as long as possible.
“It’s such a joy to be around these kids every day,” Prock said. “I want us to go as long as we can.”