2011 Gazette Female Athlete of the Year: Kiah Stokes

MARION -- She'll be back, you say.

She'll crack under Geno Auriemma's verbal barbs. She won't last at the University of Connecticut. Give it a year, maybe two. She'll be back -- in Iowa City or Ames or somewhere close to home.

Kiah Stokes insists otherwise.

"I know I'm going to hate it at times," said Stokes, the 2011 Gazette Female Athlete of the Year. "But this is what I want, to play where I can be my best and where I can win a national championship."

Her mother is taking her at her word.

"Kiah has a mind of her own. She's very independent," said Julie Saddler. "She'll be fine."

As a basketball player at Linn-Mar High School, Stokes was more than fine.

With the long-armed, 6-foot-3 post patrolling the paint, the Lions won 94 of 101 games. They advanced to state four times, winning the 2010 Class 4A championship.

Twice, she was the Gatorade state player of the year. She was Miss Iowa Basketball 2011, and probably would have won the award multiple times had non-seniors been eligible.

As a senior, Stokes led the state in scoring, averaging 25 points per game. But she'll be remembered more for her defensive skills.

She is the state's all-time leader in blocks (515) and ranks fourth in rebounds (1,239), to go with her 1,704 career points. 

Triple-doubles were not uncommon for Stokes. On a January night at Cedar Rapids Washington during her sophomore season, she posted 16 points, 20 rebounds and 16 blocks.

"It doesn't hurt to be 6-3 with long arms, but her shot-blocking instincts are remarkable," said Linn-Mar Coach Mike Brandt. "She can read where the ball is going, and she gets there."

Stokes certainly grew up with a basketball pedigree. Her father, Greg Stokes, was part of the University of Iowa's "Twin Towers" with Michael Payne in the early- to mid-1980s.

As her basketball career began, in elementary school as a member of the Cedar Rapids Panthers, Kiah picked No. 41. Just like Dad.

"I think it's pretty cool," Greg said. "It's a good number for her.

"I'm very proud of her, of course. My little Kiah is going to one of the best programs in the nation. It's a dream come true."

Stokes' parents divorced when Kiah and brother Darius -- he's a year older -- were young. They stayed with Julie for a week, with Greg for a week. The arrangement has worked fine.

Both parents were involved during the recruiting process. But in the end, it was solely Kiah's decision.

"We didn't want her to make a decision based on what we wanted," Saddler said. "She didn't ask for our input, so we didn't give it."

For a while, the decision was more than "which school." It also was "which sport." Stokes could have been a Division-I volleyball player; she led the Lions to state twice and earned all-state honors.

"For a long time, I really thought I wanted to do both," Stokes said. "People said it would be too hard. They said I could be decent at both, but I really wanted to be as good as I can be in basketball."

So, last November, she committed to Connecticut, the nation's premier program.

Nearly four months later, Auriemma showed up at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines for the Lions' state quarterfinal against Ankeny. He saw the first of two games in which Stokes had a memorable moment in the clutch.

With the Lions trailing by a point late, Stokes took the inbounds pass, 75 feet from her basket, and tore off down the sideline like a point guard. She finished the play with a go-ahead layup. Moments later, she swatted away Ankeny's last gasp to preserve the win.

In the semifinals, Stokes drained a 3-pointer -- the only one of her career -- from the top of the key to force overtime against Iowa City West. She fouled out early in overtime, and West pulled away.

Stokes' senior year ended the same way as her sophomore year, with bitter tears. Her junior year, after the championship win over Des Moines East, she raced out of the locker room after the postgame meeting and embraced her parents.

Those were rare displays of emotion.

"I'm very proud of the way she handles herself," Greg said. "She doesn't need to talk, she doesn't need to chirp. She just goes about her business and lets her play do the talking."

On the court, Stokes is quiet, businesslike, humble.

"As many accolades as she's gotten, she's not a kid with a big head at all," said Scott Mahmens, Linn-Mar athletics director. "She does everything the right way. She has a great personality. She sees you in the hallway, and it's, 'Hey, Mr. Mahmens, how are you?' "

Stokes said, "I don't need the spotlight. I don't need the headlines. Like my grandma said, it's all just paper."

Said Brandt:

"She's such a good kid. Her athletic ability is unbelievable. But what a great kid. I'm fortunate to have coached a kid like her.

"You don't see it on the floor, but she has a great sense of humor. She keeps people loose. At team meals and team meetings, she's a lot of fun."

And intelligent. The owner of a 4.0 GPA at Linn-Mar, Stokes took two summer classes at UConn -- freshman English and a humanities class. She got A's in both.

A page or two in the 2011-12 UConn women's basketball media guide will be devoted to Stokes. Some factoids that may be disclosed:

She likes to dance, but not to country music.

She's a good ping-pong player.

She thinks she can cook. But when she tried to bake a cake, she substituted margarine for butter and Splenda packets for sugar.

"Nobody ate it," she said. "We threw it away."

She's terrified of insects. But she's fond of horror movies.

"I like the movies that make you jump out of your seat, the thrillers that make you freak out when you're home alone," she said.

Professional basketball is her desired destination. If is doesn't pan out, she wants to coach.

"I can't picture myself in a real job," she said. "I want to be around basketball."

Auriemma said in March that he "would be really surprised if (Stokes is) not a big contributor for us next year."

It's no secret -- even half a country away -- that Auriemma is demanding. Stokes thinks she can handle it.

"I went into his office, and he's intimidating," she said. "But I know he'll make me better."

One thing will make the transition easier. Win.

"That's the expectation when you come to Connecticut," Auriemma said. "We expect to win every game."

BIO: KIAH STOKES

The all-time state leader in blocked shots (with 515), she ranks fourth all-time in rebounds (1,239) and finished her career with 1,704 points. Led Linn-Mar to a 94-7 basketball record and four state-tournament appearances, including the Class 4A title in 2010. As a senior, she led the state in scoring, averaging 25.0 points per game. She also averaged 14.9 rebounds and 5.6 blocks per game and was named Miss Iowa Basketball 2011. A third-team all-stater in volleyball that led the Lions to the state tournament twice. Will play basketball at the University of Connecticut.