Strickland Signs With Missouri-Kansas City

Taylor Strickland, a Rogers High senior, signs to play basketball at Missouri-Kansas City while her parents, Edwin and Shun Strickland, look on.
Taylor Strickland, a Rogers High senior, signs to play basketball at Missouri-Kansas City while her parents, Edwin and Shun Strickland, look on.

— After taking over the Missouri-Kansas City women’s basketball program last spring, Marsha Frese made it a point to watch Taylor Strickland play early and often.

Strickland was already leaning toward signing with the Lady Kangaroos before the coaching change, and she committed last August after meeting the new coach. Fort Smith Southside senior Callie White, an AAU teammate of Strickland’s, also signed with the school on Wednesday.

“The thing that really drew me to them was that the new coach came in and was at almost every single AAU game,” Strickland said. “She pursued me the hardest and showed me she was interested. The new coach has a great personality and I feel like I will fit in with their program.”

Strickland and White will be roommates next fall.

“We work great together,” Strickland said. “She is an excellent point guard. She really helped me in going to UMKC.”

Frese said she expects Strickland to come in next season and compete for playing time.

“Taylor got our staff excited this summer because as a high school senior she already possesses many of skills that are on display in current UMKC senior Kim Nezianya,” Frese said. “She is physical, has good range and is comfortable scoring off the dribble. Taylor's best basketball is still well ahead of her as she is just starting to truly realize everything she can do with her skill set. Like Nezianya, Taylor is also extremely outgoing and definitely brings her sense of humor with her to Kansas City.”

Strickland owns the Lady Mounties’ single-season records for points scored (524), free throws made (162), free throws attempted (179) and free-throw percentage (90.5 percent), and she has a chance to become the all-time scoring leader at the school.

Last season, Strickland averaged 20 points a game in the 7A-West Conference while helping the Lady Mounties to a 22-6 overall record and a 11-3 conference mark.

Rogers coach Preston Early said Strickland is one of the best players he has coached during his 14 seasons as the Lady Mounties’ coach.

“We are so proud of Taylor and she has meant so much to us,” Early said. “From day one, Taylor has been such an elite performer. She had high expectations when she came in, and she has met them and exceeded them. Taylor is constantly raising the bar for herself.”

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