Colleyville Heritage girls hoops player grew into her role

There aren’t a lot of opportunities for 4-foot-9-inch basketball players, but Colleyville Heritage’s McKinley Charles didn’t let that slow her down.

That height in her freshman year wasn’t a discouragement to the Lady Panther’s point guard.

During Charles’ sophomore year, she grew a few inches and is now towering at 5-4 (“and a half”), she said, in her junior year.

Charles’ said she just continued to shoot to improve and now is a legitimate 3-point threat for Heritage.

Along with the growth and experience came confidence.

“I don’t feel so scared anymore,” Charles said. “My club team coach would tell me, ‘Don’t go in [the lane]’ because he didn’t want me to get hurt.”

With the additional five inches or so, Heritage head coach Dianna Sager challenged Charles to become a more aggressive player.

“When we met at the end of her sophomore season, she had always been a 3-point shooter,” Sager said, “but I challenged her to play on varsity and get over the mindset of just shooting the 3. I wanted her to drive to the basket.”

Now, she said, because she’s being defended for her outside shot, she doesn’t hesitate to get some space and drive to the basket.

“When I drive, I usually dish it to the open person or I get fouled,” she said.

“Not only has the confidence helped her drive to the basket, but just getting there is a big deal because she used to avoid contact,” Sager said.

Charles at the free throw line is exactly what Sager wants. Charles is an 86 percent free throw shooter.

“I feel comfortable there,” Charles said, “although I’m really not there often. The whole team has good free throw shooters. Whoever they foul, we’re going to get some points.”

Improving her ball-handling and defense has also been an area of improvement for Charles. Sager noted she’s also likely to snag about four rebounds per game in addition to some steals.

“I was kind of lazy,” she said of her defense. “My footwork would have me getting caught off guard but I’ve stepped it up this year. I’m getting more steals and tips. I used to be scared.”

Sager noted Charles has matured as a player and was forced into a role last year but has done a very good job.

“She’s also a good passer,” Sager noted. “She can make the long pass for us.”

Her knack for shooting, though, has come along over time.

Charles said when she was younger, she had to shoot with two hands because she was so small.

“They’d make us shoot from the three-point line and it would take all of my body to get it there,” Charles said.

Charles noted that she’s still likely to add another inch or two and should match her mother (5’6”) and her father (5’7”).

Until then, Charles said she and her teammates are pushing toward their goal of winning at least one game in the playoffs, if not more.

This story was originally published February 1, 2016 at 3:52 PM with the headline "Colleyville Heritage girls hoops player grew into her role."