Rising Star: Maize’s Kyla Frenchers

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Maize girls basketball is ranked in the Top 5 in the state in Class 5A and started the season with a dominant 55-35 win over No. 10 ranked Kapaun to open the season.

The Eagles are led by one of the state’s top point guards in senior Kyla Frenchers.

Frenchers fell in love with the game the very first time she picked up a basketball.

“For a year, all I did was dribble in my garage with my dad,” Frenchers said. “I wasn’t allowed to shoot and then, third-grade year, I joined a team at the YMCA and just kept moving up from there.”

After years of dedication and commitment, she’s established herself as one of the best players in Kansas for the Class of 2022.

“Kyla has always been a leader, even when she came here as a sophomore, she was a leader then,” Maize Head Basketball Coach Jerrod Handy said. “She loves the game of basketball and you can see that in the way she plays, she’s so competitive and always works so hard at practice.”

As a junior last season, Frenchers averaged 9.3 points per game and helped lead a talented Maize team to an 18-3 record and a state tournament appearance. The Eagles season would come to an end in a quarterfinal loss to state runner-up Andover Central.

“It definitely motivated us to push ourselves harder this preseason,” Frenchers said. “These workouts were harder than we’ve had and I am glad for it. It showed on Friday that it was productive.”

Frenchers opened the 2021-2022 season scoring a game-high 16 points against Kapaun, emerging as the new leading scorer for the Eagles.

“She is so quick and she has the quickest move to the basket that I have ever seen or coached,” Handy said.

“Last year, we had really good scorers, great shooters and great post so scoring wasn’t the main thing I was worried about,” Frenchers said. “It was more just feeding who is hot and who is not and getting some for me if I needed, but the goal for this year is to score more and be ready to play the upcoming level.”

Frenchers will continue her career at the Division II level at Regis University.

“I am so excited,” she said. “This is what you work all those years for and all the early mornings and late nights. This is what it’s for.”

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