Since kindergarten, Makiah Shanklin has been on the basketball court. It came naturally to her, as both of her parents played and she grew up watching her brother play. Shanklin admires her parents for much more than their athletic skills, though.
“They both work hard to earn their stuff. They both can do anything they put their mind to, and they are go getters,” said Shanklin.
Her teammates also play a big role in her life, on and off the court.
“My teammates are my family, my sisters at that,” she said. “They are girls who I achieve goals with, get better with, and stronger with. ‘We’ over me.”
Head coach Mason Baade can attest to her team spirit as well as her grit and athleticism on the court.
“Makiah had a very strong freshman season for us last year,” said Baade. “She is a very physical player and one of our best hustlers on the floor. There isn’t a game that she isn’t on the floor trying to gain possession of 50/50 balls. She lead us in points, rebounds, and deflections as a freshman and will be looking to better those numbers during her sophomore campaign. She is also a very unselfish player and celebrates her teammates successes and very vocal on the floor.”
In the quest to be better, Shanklin uses every opportunity to grow – even losses.
“What motivates me is anyone that looks down on me, and if we lose a game it helps motivate me to do better the next game and do something different,” she said.
One opponent she looks forward to facing this season is Perkins-Tryon.
“They are our rival team and when we play them it’s always hype and very intense,” she said. “We always go back and forth – it’s just a lot of competing and it’s fun.”
Shanklin keeps a busy schedule, also playing AAU basketball, softball, running track, and cheerleading for the Cushing Tigers. She has plenty of time left in her high school basketball career, but already has her eyes set on the desire to keep playing at the collegiate level someday.
