By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
To say that the Kickapoo Lady Chiefs’ new head coach is familiar with the program would be a major understatement.
Longtime Lady Chiefs assistant coach, Leslie Hanchey, takes over a program she not only led to state titles as a player but also as an assistant coach. And, according to Hanchey, there is no place she would rather be.
“It’s definitely a full circle event in my life,” said Hanchey, who was a member of two of Kickapoo’s state championship teams (2003 and 2005). “I played four years for Stephanie Phillips at Kickapoo and the things she taught me as a player I have carried over into my adult life.
“When I came back to help her when she was diagnosed with cancer, I had zero intentions of coaching and teaching as a profession. After my first year, I was hooked and the rest is history. For me, this is it. There is no other program I would want to coach for.”
In 15 years as an assistant and associate head coach, Hanchey has helped lead the Lady Chiefs to one state title (2016), two runner-up finishes (2018, 2022) and two third-place wins (2010, 2021).
Now, as the head coach, Hanchey will look to continue the success Kickapoo has grown accustomed to, which starts with six returnees, three of whom were starters.
The Lady Chiefs went 22-7 overall, 9-1 in the Ozark Conference last year and came up short in the Class 6 District 5 Championship with a 57-50 loss to Republic. Four of their losses were by three points or less.
“We had several athletes who didn’t have much varsity experience and by the end of the year, we were battling with the best,” Hanchey said. “That experience they gained last season will only help us this season.”
Kya Johnson, 5-foot-6 senior guard – Averaged 10 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game as a starter; earned Class 6 All-District 5 and All-Ozark Conference first-team honors; member of the Kickapoo volleyball team who has committed to Missouri State for volleyball. “Kya is the ultimate team leader that can do anything we ask of her,” Hanchey said. “She is a physical player that knows how to get to the rim. She led our team in charges last year, as well. She is skilled all around and she will be our team leader for the season.”
Mikayla Pilley, 5-10 junior starter – 10.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2 apg; an all-district and all-conference first-team selection. “Mikayla is versatile player that can drive and shoot. Her length and size helps give us mismatches that we will try to use to our advantage. Defensively, she is great at finding the ball and using her length to help us get stops. We will look for Mikayla to be more of a vocal leader for us this season, which is something she is not used to.”
Josie Salazar, sophomore starter – 4.9 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.6 apg; named to the OC All-Defensive Team. “Josie is one of the most athletic players on our team. She is quick and knows how to get to the rim well. This year, we will look for her to be in attack mode as much as possible. We will see Josie making a big jump in her production offensively, as well. Defensively, she was tremendous for us last year. Any time we needed a steal, deflection or rebound, she was the one who got it for us.”
Arianna Mosley, senior — 4.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.3 apg. “Ari is one of the fastest players on our team. Her speed helped us defensively last year and we will look for that speed again this year. Offensively, she does a nice job getting to the rim in transition and finishing with contact.”
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Allison Scott, 6-0 junior post – 2.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg. “We will need Allison to step into one of our post roles this season. She finishes around the rim well and will be a nice big presence for us on defense. We will also need Allison to be a great rounder for us.”
Mikayla Smith, junior – 4.9 ppg, 1.5 rpg. “Mikayla was really stepping into a large role for us last season when she had a season-ending injury in January. We look for her to play a large role for us again this year. She is one of our best shooters and is quick to the ball on defense.”
The Lady Chiefs will have newcomers from the senior, junior, sophomore and freshman classes looking to make an impact this season.
Raigan Smith is a senior, whom Hanchey describes a great shooter with a nose for the ball. Junior Emily Crain has an “extremely high basketball IQ and is the ultimate team player.” Hanchey says sophomore Bella Bateman has a lot of potential. “She can shoot the ball well, is a great passer and sees the floor well.” Freshman Anyiah Doig is a move-in from Waynesville, whom Hanchey says is a lefty who can shoot, but will also bring physicality to the team.
“I think our biggest challenge/obstacle will be how it is with every new team; figuring out new roles and stepping into bigger responsibilities within our team,” Hanchey said. “I think this group is ready to take on new challenges, but it will take several games of getting used to those roles.”
Speed, defense and the ability to get to the rim will be the strengths of the Lady Chiefs’ attack this season.
“We must be relentless at attacking the rim when the opportunity presents itself,” Hanchey said. “On the other side of the ball, this group is a great defensive team. We must continue to become better individual defenders, no matter what defense we run.”
Kickapoo will need to find someone to step up after losing two starters in Miya Nieto (all-conference honorable mention) and Delainey Wylie.
“Miya was a great teammate and leader that did a great job of keeping our team ‘even,’ ” Hanchey said. “Skill-wise, she was one of our best shooters so we will miss having that outside threat.
“Delainey was the glue for our team. Everyone gravitated toward her and wanted to be around her. She was a tall presence that did a great job alternating shots from our opponents. She also was great at finishing around the rim and getting a rebound when we needed it.”
The Lady Chiefs begin the “Hanchey Era” on the road in the Border Battle Invitational (Arkansas) on Nov. 17-18 and will head into more tournament play on Nov. 29-Dec. 3 at Willard.
“I love that our girls are ‘gym rats,’ ” Hanchey said. “They put in time beyond what is asked of them because they want to be better basketball players and be better for our team. I also love how much they genuinely care for each other.
“Our expectations for our program will be the same as they are each year. We must be great communicators, defend, out-rebound our opponents and play hard each and every night.”
