by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
“I been playing since I was young and my tribe had a basketball league every summer,” said Kayla Jones. “It had been going on for years before I started playing in it so it means a lot to my family and other people when kids from other small towns get together and play.”
Kayla Jones, 18, is an enrolled Kiowa but is also Cheyenne and Arapaho. Her parents are Killi Elledge and Dameon Jones. The family lives in El Reno, OK.
Kayla is a senior basketball player at El Reno HS.
“Parry Roman Nose pushed me a lot to be the best,” said Kayla. “He made me believe I could be something and do something on my own. He seen something in me that most of my family already seen that I never could see. I learned and overcame a lot with myself and my game.”
“My family has pushed me as well and friends,” said Kayla. “My coach Jennifer Douglas believed in me at times when she knew she could and I never let her down.”
“Kayla Jones has been a big time contributor for our program the last three years,” said Jennifer Douglas, head varsity girls’ basketball coach at El Reno HS. “Her sophomore and junior year she was our sixth man. She played her role very well. Kayla was always asked to guard the opponent’s best player. Defense was her specialty.”
“This past year, Kayla’s senior year, we asked her to play a bigger role,” said Jennifer. “Not only did she have the responsibility to guard the opponents best player, but we needed her to give us double digit points. Kayla did a great job of rising to the challenge. She ended the season averaging 9.8 points per game.”
“Throughout Oklahoma, many end of the season awards included Kayla’s name,” said Jennifer. “The most notable award was her receiving Oklahoma Native All-State. Kayla has been a big reason for our success in El Reno over the years. We are sad to see Kayla go, but she will do big things in the future, wherever she decides to go.”
“I try to stay in the gym daily for about an hour with my older brother,” said Kayla. “He does ball handling and shoots with me. We do defensive drills, footwork, layups, running the basics then he plays me 1-on-1 up and down.”
“I need to be a better vocal leader,” said Kayla. “I talked but I could’ve talked more and been more open about it. A little more self-confidence and being more trust worthy down the line in games.”
“I have a tribal team I play on during the summer,” said Kayla. “My grandma played when she was younger and she’s a big fan of mine. We all played and besides my mom it’s always been in our genes.”
“I always have this look on my face like I’m always mad,” said Kayla. “I use that and I always tell myself that the game isn’t over yet regardless of what the score is. I also try to stay calm and be smart about everything as much as possible knowing who’s on the floor and who’s not, how much time is on the clock, what offense play we need to be in, what defensive play we also need to be in.”
Photo Credit: Glenn Miller/El Reno Tribune
