On Wednesday, May 11, Lady Indians basketball standouts Haven Matthews, Kaylie Douglass, and Toriauna Douglass signed letters of intent to play college basketball.
Matthews will be heading to South-central Kansas, where she will play for Southwestern College in Winfield. Southwestern, a private Methodist college, has a student population of nearly 1,300 and is a member of the NAIA Division II Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference.
Matthews, the daughter of Kara Cavitt and Mandon Matthews, has attended school at Marietta for 12 years, playing basketball for eight of those years on both school and AAU teams.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Matthews of Southwestern’s campus. “One of the buildings looks like a castle, and the gym has a black cat named Jinx who is the team mascot.”
Matthews said the women’s basketball team, coached by Whitney Corley, is growing and on its way up, so she looks forward to being a contributor.
“It’s pretty far from home, and I’m a little apprehensive about that,” she said, “but it’s the right fit for me.”
Kaylie Douglass, the daughter of Montre’ and Kristi Douglass, will play for Oklahoma Wesleyan University in Bartlesville. OKWU is a private evangelical Christian school with fewer than 1,000 students.
Wesleyan belongs to the NAIA Division II Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference, so Kayle and current teammate Haven Matthews will be suiting up for different teams in the fall.
“I went to tour the campus and it was so pretty,” said Kaylie. The coaching staff was great, and it was a great environment. I loved it there. Last season, the team was the conference runner-up, so I’m excited to get up there and see how I can contribute.”
Kaylie, who plays post, has attended school at Marietta for five years. She has been playing basketball since she was eight on school teams as well as AAU.
She’s anticipating college but doesn’t want to forget the people who have helped her get there.
“I am so thankful to Coach Douglass for pushing me to do my best,” she said, “and to my family, Mom and Dad, and my sisters for believing that I can do whatever I put my mind to.”
Toriauna Douglass has chosen to sign with Neosho County Community College in Chanute, Kansas. Chanute is in the far southeastern corner of the state, roughly 100 miles east of Wichita.
NCCC is a member of the NJCAA Division II Jayhawk Community College Conference and has a student population of approximately 2,000.
Toriauna, the daughter of Tory Douglass and Vanessa Aldama, chose NCCC for a few reasons.
“One reason I decided on the school is that I really love the coach and he believes that I have what it takes to make it at the next level,” said Toriauna.
Coach J.J. Davis has taken a Lady Panthers team that had several losing seasons in a row and turned it around. Toriauna looks forward to helping that trend continue.
She also likes the small-town atmosphere and the homey feel of the campus, which means that the transition between MHS and college won’t be such a culture shock.
But the biggest contributing factor is the fact that NCCC is a junior college, which Toriauna believes will mean more playing time and more growth.
“At a junior college, I can play for two years instead of sitting on the bench for two years,” she explained. “Hopefully that two years builds me into a stronger college player, and then I can transfer to a four-year university and go in with experience.
“My dream has always been to play basketball at OU. Sometimes with a dream, you have to take a longer route to get there, but you can still get there.”
Toriauna thanks her friends, family, teammates, school administration, and community, but especially her parents for their support and encouragement.
“I am so proud of my players,” said Head Basketball Coach Tory Douglass. “They have played a lot of basketball since I have taken over, from AAU ball to summer camps and the regular season with long four-hour practices.
“But they have all committed 100 percent and now they are reaping the rewards of their hard work. So congratulations, ladies, you deserve it. I would like to thank the parents because without you allowing them to commit to this journey, they might not be here.”