King Living Out Dream of Playing for Kentucky
Growing up in Stanford, Kentucky, Emma King always wanted to play basketball for the University of Kentucky. King has been a Wildcats fan as long as she can remember, and is now living out the fantasy of nearly every child who grows up in the Commonwealth.
“It’s been great, it’s something I have dreamed of since I was little,” King said. “Just getting to do it and having the people back home support me, but even people from other counties in the state, knowing that they are supporting me, it means so much to me.”
King comes to UK from Lincoln County High School, where she scored more than 2,500 points in her prep career. She averaged 18.5 points and 7.3 rebounds as a senior last season.
King caught the eye of the UK coaching staff early during the recruiting process.
“There were a few things that really drew me to Emma early on in her career that she’s still doing here,” said UK head coach Matthew Mitchell. “(I’m) real pleased that she is bringing her best qualities to the table. When you looked at her as maybe a freshman or sophomore, she wasn’t physically mature at the time, but I just loved her tenacity, she was always on the attack. She just played with a fearless attitude.”
Mitchell has been pleased with King’s progress since she arrived on campus.
“She seems to be a little ahead of the game mentally as far as being able to absorb things,” Mitchell said. “She still will have to make an adjustment to college, but I think by the end of the season, you’re going to see her able to do some things for us that are contributing to our success.”
King knows that she has some adjustments to make to be able to play in the college game.
“It is really quick and I think that’s been a big challenge for me because I feel like I can run the floor, but there are certain things, like finishing when you’re going 100 miles an hour, that’s been my biggest problem so far,” King said. “But Coach (Kyra) Elzy tells me every day that it’s a process and to be patient.”
King is known as an outstanding shooter, something that she and her father would continually prove to Mitchell after King had committed to the Cats.
“I can’t count how many times she and her dad would send me a picture of how many shots they made that night,” Mitchell said.
King remembers a proud dad bragging about his daughter.
“He would definitely do that sometimes, especially the nights I was shooting super good,” King said of her father’s messages to Mitchell. “I would always try to make 200 or 250 threes, outside of everything else.”
King wears jersey number 34 because she was a fan of former UK men’s player DeAndre Liggins. But on the recruiting circuit, she drew comparisons to another former Cat whom she admired.
“When I was getting recruited, everyone said I reminded them of Maci (Morris),” King said. “So that was always something I thought was a huge compliment.”
King hopes to follow in the footsteps of Morris and others who have been Kentucky prep legends, then made an impact on the UK program. But for now, King is relishing in being a Wildcat.
“It’s everything I hoped it would be,” King said. “I truly just enjoy being here.”
