The Plant City Lady Raiders basketball team are having their best season in about as long as anyone can remember, and this great start has been credited to both stout defense and unselfishness. Junior guard Kaylynn Wilkerson has been facilitating the offense, and played big roles in the team’s past few wins — including 22 assists over three of the last four games. Her 5.8 assists per game is a career high.
You’ve been playing well lately, and so has the team — what’s the key to success?
Working together. Not individuality, not selfishness — we’re definitely as much of a unit as we could be. We all play together and no one shows that they think they deserve the ball more than other people. We all play together and get along great.
You guys have arguably the best defense in the area. How do you do it?
Practice. Definitely practice. We do defense before offense because we say that, if you play good defense, you get steals. And, if you get steals, then you get fast breaks. Fast breaks turn into layups. Layups lead to fouls. Fouls lead to free throws, and there’s your points.
What’s been your approach to these past few games?
I definitely had a slump, and I wasn’t playing very well. I got myself together, re-evaluated myself and watched film, looked at what I was doing wrong and what I could do to make my team better. And, myself. I went back on the court, cleared my head and played.
Do you have any superstitions to help bust a slump?
I don’t really think I have one of those. I have to drink a Monster before every game. I don’t know if it really gives me the energy that I need, but if I don’t drink one, I don’t feel like I’m playing as well as I should.
What’s been your favorite part about this season?
Winning. It’s definitely nice to see everyone happy, and our school supports us. I like that — everyone comes together in the community and watches us play.
What other sports do you play?
I play flag football. I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite over basketball, but it’s definitely a lot of fun. I play wide receiver and middle linebacker.
What else do you like to do for fun?
I like to read, and I like to watch Netflix. Netflix is my life. I’ve read the Great Gatsby, and the Divergent series — which was great — and the Hunger Games series. And, on Netflix, I watch Grey’s Anatomy. I’m a freak about doctors and surgery and everything like that. I absolutely love it. I also watch Gossip Girls.
Is that what you want to study when you get to college? The medical stuff, not the gossip.
When I was little, I always said that I wanted to be a pediatrician. But, I’ve recently changed that. I think I want to go to college and major in deaf cultures and become a political interpreter.
If you could be either rich or famous, what would you pick?
Rich. People say that money can’t buy everything, but there’s a lot of things that could definitely benefit myself and my family with money over people’s opinion on whether they like me or not.
If you could play sports for any team, what would it be?
I’d definitely want to play basketball for Wake Forest, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Is that your favorite team?
I was born and raised to be a Gator fan. Kind of forced into it. But, I’d still pick Wake Forest over Florida.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
To be invisible. I’m sneaky so…
You want to be sneakier?
Oh yeah. Every chance I get to be sneakier than I already am. My mom says I’m one of the sneakiest people ever. I’ve got to max it out.
If you could meet anyone, who would it be and what would you talk about?
Kevin Durant. He’s my favorite player. If I could talk to him about everything, it would be how to get to the position where he is in his life, how to be successful through basketball.