High School Sports Awards: Wisconsin's Kamorea Arnold embracing her already notable basketball career
Embrace the journey.
That's one of the pillars of Wisconsin's Germantown High School girls basketball program, and Warhawks standout guard Kamorea Arnold leads the charge in possessing that mentality.
As a sophomore, the stellar playmaker led Germantown (29-1) to its first Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 1 girls basketball state crown in February, averaging 22.9 points per game to pair with 6.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists.
Arnold said hoisting the state championship trophy was a feeling that spurred a myriad of emotions and she's looking forward to helping the Warhawks create more memories.
"Just to know the hard work is paying off is great, but we can't stop the grind," she said. "It's great to draw attention to Germantown High School girls basketball, just letting everyone know our program is really good and the high school as a whole is a great place to be. We never want to take a game off. We want to play every game like it's our last one."
Arnold's success made her an honoree in the Wisconsin High School Sports Awards. Winners will be announced on the website July 15. If the 5-foot-9 dynamo wins, she will become an honoree for the inaugural national USA TODAY High School Sports Awards show, presented by U.S. Polo Assn. The on-demand show will stream on the show website at 8 p.m. Eastern Aug. 5.
More: Michael Strahan and Rob Gronkowski to host the inaugural USA TODAY High School Sports Awards show Aug. 5
Germantown High School Head Basketball Coach Matt Stuve said while Arnold has been blessed with significant physical gifts, she has never taken that for granted.
"I don't think I've ever seen her walk into the gym without a smile on her face," he said. "That's huge. Obviously, everyone recognizes her talent and ability, but kids generally love playing with her. I honestly believe she could be the 14th kid on our team and kids would enjoy playing with her just as much."
Stuve also points to Arnold's work ethic and determination to be a unifying force.
"She's always positive, upbeat, enjoyable to be around and really brings out the best in people," he said. "When you combine the talent with the kind of teammate she is, it just makes for a special experience. She's always worked hard to continue to improve and grow as a player. But she's also a humble kid and that's just awesome to see."
Arnold has been selected as the Associated Press Wisconsin Girls Basketball Player of the Year and named to the 2021 USA Basketball Women’s U16 National Team that will compete in the 2021 FIBA Americas U16 Championship in Santiago, Chile, next month.
She gives a nod to family for instilling the value of dedicating oneself to a cause.
"They push me," she said. "I'm the baby in my family, so having older siblings that experienced this type of thing with different sports, has really helped. They remind me to keep my head on straight and keep working. I just try to get better every day to take my game to the next level."
Arnold's calendar has been bursting at the seams this summer playing basketball with Midwest Elite. And she recently narrowed her college choices to 12 schools - Duke, Baylor, Florida, Kentucky, Louisville, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Ohio State, South Carolina, Marquette and Connecticut.
"I feel blessed to have the opportunity," she said with regard to the recruiting interest. "So now it's about going with the same mentality every game. They're still watching. My advice is to have fun, keep working at the game. It can get frustrating at times, but you have to keep that smile on your face. That'll get you through tough times in basketball and in other things."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kamorea Arnold took her team to their first championship as a sophomore
