Zyanna Walker鈥檚 return makes Wichita Heights a team to watch
WICHITA, Kan. (BVM) 鈥� There is no denying that Wichita Heights has enough talent to win its eighth girls basketball state title in 2021. But the Falcons also appeared to be good enough to win it all the past two seasons, only to lose in the state quarterfinals.
鈥淲e were right there,鈥� Wichita Heights head coach Ken Palmer said. 鈥淭wo years in a row. It鈥檚 like, 鈥楳an, we keep getting there and we keep getting there and we鈥檝e got to get over the hump.鈥� They know we can get there 鈥� if we stay healthy.鈥�
The Falcons didn鈥檛 stay healthy last season. They lost star guard Zyanna Walker to a torn ACL in February and had to finish the year without their best player. Kansas wouldn鈥檛 crown a state champion anyway after the tournament was shut down due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but Wichita Heights would鈥檝e likely been one of the final four teams standing when the season ended had it not lost one of the most heavily-recruited girls basketball players in the state.聽
鈥淵ou take away 20 points, 10 rebounds, that鈥檚 a lot to lose,鈥� Palmer said. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 not just the numbers and stats she put up, just having her presence not being there, that hurt the girls mentally, too. … She鈥檚 such a humble, hard-working kid and for something like that to happen to her, [to have] something she loves to do get taken away, she felt it and the girls felt it for her. It was huge to lose her.鈥�
Walker was only a sophomore when her season ended prematurely last winter, but she was already considered the best player in the state for her class. ESPN rates her as a four-star prospect and she鈥檚 ranked No. 20 overall among the Class of 2022 in the She has over 20 Division I college offers from major programs all over the country, but her main focus right now is getting back on the court with her Wichita Heights teammates.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been challenging at times,鈥� Walker said, 鈥渂ut I鈥檝e just kept my mind on getting back and I鈥檝e been motivated to get back, especially watching my team play. .. It鈥檚 hard to watch so I鈥檓 just very excited to get back and play with my team.鈥�
The hope is that will happen sometime in January. And when Walker does come back, she鈥檒l be returning to a starting lineup that also includes two other future Division I college players: senior Laniah Randle and junior Cayanna Stanley, both of whom hold offers from several schools.
When the Falcons are fully intact, the high expectations will also return for a program that has captured seven state championships, but none since winning back-to-back titles with undefeated seasons in 2011 and 2012.
鈥淚 always set the bar high with these kids,鈥� said Palmer, who鈥檚 in his fifth year as the Wichita Height鈥檚 head coach after spending seven years as an assistant under Kip Pulliam. 鈥淚鈥檒l ask them to shoot for the stars so the expectations are always high. They work really hard at practice, especially my younger girls who come in and see you鈥檝e got three girls with Division I offers on the team, and they set the standard for this program.鈥澛�
There鈥檚 reason to believe the Falcons can meet their own high expectations this season, especially with the return of Walker, whose third year could be the charm.
鈥淎s a team, I feel like we can win it all,鈥� Walker said. 鈥淲e can win state. We have the talent. We have the chemistry. I鈥檝e been playing with some of these girls for a long time so I think we can do it.鈥�
