By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
Sophomore Kylin Kinchen has emerged as a defensive stopper for Seattle Prep’s girls’ basketball team, as she has earned the trust and admiration of her coaches and teammates despite being one of the youngest players on the squad. At just 5’6”, Kinchen’s relentless energy and ability to lock down opponents’ top scorers have made her a vital part of the team’s success.
Her aggressive defensive style has been a hallmark of her game since she started playing basketball in sixth grade when she joined the Finest Basketball Club (FBC), a local AAU program that competes on a national level. While the experience at FBC has been great for her development as a player, Kinchen has also had to learn to harness her game at the high school level because the games are not as intense.
“For FBC, we travel to places like Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana, and all the girls there are a lot more aggressive,” says Kinchen. “The refs and the game overall are a lot faster. The girls are taller, so it’s harder for me to transition into the high school season because the refs here are a bit softer and call a lot of fouls. I’m a very aggressive player, so adjusting to a softer gameplay with stricter refs is challenging.”
Prior to playing basketball, Kinchen was a high-level gymnast, competing at the Junior Olympics and even winning a state championship in her final year of competition. Her mother, Janae Kinchen, says that transitioning from gymnastics to basketball revealed Kinchen’s incredible defensive instincts and competitive drive, traits that quickly earned her recognition from coaches.
“When she made that switch in sixth grade to basketball, it was fun to see that transition,” says Janae. “We wanted to see if she would like something else, and her defensive skills were crazy. Coaches loved her, and she learned her skills as a basketball player.”
According to Janae, Kinchen’s growth as a player has been incredible, and it shows.
“She [Kylin] is definitely one of the most aggressive players on the team,” Janae said. “Her coach always makes sure she guards the number-one shooter or their best player because Kylin can hold it down on the court. She brings up the tempo of the games, has a really nice shot, and I just love to see her growth and confidence grow as she gets older.”
Janae credits Seattle Prep Head Basketball Coach Talia Walton as a driving force behind her daughter’s next level of development. Walton, who took over the program this year, played basketball for the University of Washington, overseas, and for various teams in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) after first getting drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks in 2016.
“Watching her as a new high school coach this year has been great seeing them come together. She truly pushes the girls to be able to play at the next level,” Janae said. “She played at the next level, broke some records at UW before playing in the WNBA, and it is great for the girls to have that. Kylin has her to look up to and help her move forward to the next level.”
Kinchen echoed her mother’s sentiments about Walton’s impact, noting that the coach’s approach has been instrumental in shaping the team’s mentality.
“With our last coach, we didn’t have much discipline, so when Coach Walton came in, it was kind of like a reality check for us, and I really appreciated it,” says Kinchen. “She always keeps it real with us, and I know that it comes from a place of love because she wants us to be the best version of ourselves every day.”
Adjusting to the demands of high school basketball has been a learning experience for Kinchen, especially as she moved from Lake Stevens to Seattle Prep and entered a program with older, more experienced players. As a freshman, she worked hard to find her place on the team and gain the respect of her teammates.
“Last year, I didn’t really know anybody because I live in Lake Stevens. So, coming to Seattle Prep, I was just trying to find my role because I was the only freshman starting on the team, and I wanted to gain my teammates’ respect and trust in me with being so young,” says Kinchen. “We have a pretty old team with six seniors and a lot of new underclassmen, but I am the only returning underclassman varsity player this year. So, I was able to establish the older girls’ trust and work towards becoming a leader on the team.”
As a young athlete who is used to traveling and tight schedules, Kinchen said that it is challenging for her to balance her studies and basketball but says that the sisterhood that exists among her teammates has made it a little easier.
“It is challenging to manage, especially now with it being finals and all the games that we have going on. But, before games, we all meet up at a teammate’s house to study together, and that has been really helpful to have each other to keep us motivated and stay on the right track,” Kinchen said. “At home, it is hard to balance all of my trainings and practices, but I have realized that I just have to come home, turn my phone off, focus for an hour, give myself a break, and then get back to it again, and everything will get done.”
Her mother is proud of how Kinchen has handled the transition to a more demanding environment, noting that her daughter’s discipline and dedication have allowed her to excel both on and off the court.
“Going from a public school to moving over here to Seattle Prep last year, Kylin has done great. I think because she is so disciplined and hard on herself, it allows her to get really good grades, and she is keeping up really well. She takes her studies so seriously and always makes sure her homework is done, and I have loved watching her be able to balance it all,” added Janae.
Proving herself as an excellent defender, Kinchen wants to continue to evolve as a player, as she sets her sights on big goals for not only herself but also for her team.
“I want to get better and better and more confident each year. I am trying to get Metro Defensive Player of the Year because I think that I have proved myself on the defensive end,” Kinchen said. “I want to be more of an offensive player to be able to contribute more on that side for my team. I think we have the potential this year to make it far in the playoffs, win Metro, and hopefully state. We just need to play better as a team, uphold each other, and I know we have the ability to do so.”
Only in her second year of high school basketball, Kinchen is already looking at the road ahead of her and one day reaching her childhood dreams of playing at the next level.
“I have wanted to play at the next level for a really long time now, and I still do. That dream has not changed,” says Kinchen. “I have talked to a couple of colleges already with my AAU team, and I definitely want to work hard these next few years and try to play at the next level if I am able to.”
Source: Seattle Medium
