by By Dan Ninham
A new college recruit is leaving the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican community in northeast Wisconsin to southwest Wisconsin to attend college and play basketball.
Kayla Pecore, 18 years old, attended Bowler High School in Bowler, WI. Her parents are Clifton Pecore and Destiny Spruce.
“I am an enrolled member the Stockbridge-Munsee Tribe and a direct descendent of the Menominee Tribe,” said Kayla. “I am turtle clan.”
Kayla played volleyball, basketball, and softball throughout high school. In volleyball she was named Second Team All Conference and First Team All Conference. In basketball she was name All Conference two years in a row and First Team All Conference. She will be attending Western Technical College this fall to play basketball.
“I come from a small town and tribe,” said Kayla. “As a student-athlete in the community, I try to do my best to represent my community and tribe. I work hard in school to maintain good grades. With sports I work my hardest on and off the court and field.”
“Family is a big part of what I value,” said Kayla. “My family is what keeps me going and who has always had my back. When someone is struggling we don’t hesitate to help them even if we’re having our own struggles.”
“My dad has been the one who had influenced me most,” said Kayla. “I also have a little niece who keeps me motivated as well as her parents.”
“My dad was a student-athlete and he had his struggles in high school but he was good enough to make something out of it but he didn’t get that chance. He has always been there for me and motivated me,” added Kayla.
“Kayla has many leadership qualities that she has instilled in her and many that have driven her,” said dad Clifton Pecore. “She strives to be overcome in the classroom, society, and on the court. She leads by example in all aspects of life. She understands the importance of knowledge and is constantly pushing herself to gain more and more knowledge from everyday lessons learned to knowledge learned from education.”
“Kayla has overcome some tough realities in life that are not fair and tried to pull her down. She thrived and destroyed these roadblocks set in her path to be one of the best basketball players in her conference. She is determined to follow the path that will get her to her goals. Kayla as a player is very aggressive and willing to perform all aspects of the game from doing the dirty work of hustling for loose balls to rebounding and defending with a passion and scoring from all areas on the court,” added Clifton.
“Kayla grew up with me her father and has learned to be responsible for her actions and that excuses are not reasonable,” said Clifton. “She strives to better her life and to overcome the tragedies she has endured. She remains positive for what her future holds and has kept on her path to continue her basketball career even after her first school choice had cancelled their season and the coach who recruited her had to return home to Iowa. She stayed persistent and is now going to attend and play basketball at Western Technical College in La Crosse, WI. I am both honored and proud of everything she does and who she is.”
“My niece, Ryanah Parker, is 1 year and 6 months old and since the first time I held her I knew that I wanted to show her that she can do anything she puts her mind to, that she can too be something more. I just want to be the best role model for her,” added Kayla.
“My niece’s parents have been pretty motivational too,” said Kayla. “Her father was one of the few people I could actually train with because he always made sure I had an understanding of the things we were doing and why. He pushed me even when I felt like giving up.”
“Her mom was always the one to tell me what I needed to hear whether I wanted to hear it or not. She was also a good person I could go to to get things off my shoulder,” added Kayla.
“In the two years that I coached Kayla she showed improvement and was willing to keep working hard,” said Tonia Pagryzinski, Bowler HS varsity basketball coach. “She pushed not only herself but also her teammates. Being a multi-sport athlete is hard but she handled herself very well.”
“Being her softball coach, I saw her as a tremendous leader,” said Alison Van Grinsven, Bowler HS varsity softball coach. “She picked up teammates when they were down and was always willing to go the extra mile for her team. As a spectator in the stands for basketball games, I could see the passion and drive that she had. It was contagious to other teammates and it drove her team to score and win close games. It was so fun to watch her grow as a leader in her final two years of high school. It will be exciting to see her succeed at the next level whether it is in school, sports, or life.”
“Kayla is a hard worker both on and off the court, and is going to be a great asset to our team,” said Brent Thill, head women’s basketball coach at Western Technical College. “ Western Technical College Basketball is an academic first program and we were third in the nation overall last year and first in the nation in our division. Kayla is someone who was consistently on the Honor Roll. It’s not all that common to get an athlete that led her team in points, rebounds, and assists. We are very excited that she is coming to Western Technical College!”
“I’ve overcome a lot in my 18 years of life,” said Kayla. “My biggest accomplishment is being able to move on to the next level of basketball even when it felt like everyone was against me. Quitting was never an option for me, and growing up I was taught that once you start something you finish it. That mindset stuck with me and I thank my dad for always pushing me to never quit, especially in basketball.”
Photo Credit: Rolanda Bierman
