Kirkwood women’s basketball player Kaliyah Sain thriving back home

CEDAR RAPIDS — Kaliyah Sain just needed some family and familiarity.

Sixteen months ago, the former Cedar Rapids Kennedy prep was just getting acclimated to college life at Division I Lindenwood (Mo.) University. Sain had decided to stick with her commitment to the Lions’ women’s basketball program even though the coach — Katie Falco — had been dismissed four months after Sain signed her letter of intent.

But a sudden family tragedy turned her world completely upside down. Kaliyah’s mother, Angie Sain, unexpectedly died at the age of 40 due to a heart ailment.

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“It was just something that randomly happened,” Sain told The Gazette.

After finishing out a freshman season in which she appeared in 21 games for Lindenwood, Sain knew a change of scenery was necessary.

“It was hard being away from home and my family when my mom passed,” she said. “I just feel like the atmosphere was just not the best for me for basketball and I didn’t perform to my best ability.”

Sain found a landing spot at Kirkwood, a program that had just won its ninth NJCAA Division II national championship and presented an opportunity for her to return to Cedar Rapids.

“Now that I’m with family all the time, because most of my family is from Cedar Rapids or Iowa at least, it has helped a lot,” Sain said. “And now that my family can come to my games and watch me. That has helped a lot, too.”

Sain has excelled with the top-ranked and undefeated Eagles (19-0, 9-0 Iowa Community College Athletic Conference). A 6-foot guard, Sain has started all 19 games and ranks second on the team at 12.5 points per game. She also has recorded 4.9 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 2.2 assists per contest.

“The fit was pretty simple,” longtime Kirkwood Coach Kim Muhl said. “It wasn’t like it was a conflict with that kid coming in and playing and getting time. It was a really a pretty easy transition for them. And I think Kaliyah needed to be happy with all the adversity that happened in her life a year ago.

“She’s happy. I’m pretty sure she’s happy.”

Sain scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Kirkwood’s 79-50 win over Northeast Community College on Saturday at Johnson Hall. The victory was the 40th in a row for Kirkwood, which broke its own NJCAA Division II women’s basketball record from 2008-10. The triumph also was Kirkwood’s 63rd home win in a row, which ties the NJCAA Division II women’s record (Lackawanna, Pa.; 1991-97).

“We just do what we do and try to get credit for it somewhere along the line,” Muhl said. “Our level is not certain places, but I think our level Is pretty good. It’s hard to be consistent. They ask me, ‘What is the thing I am most proud of?’ It’s the consistency over the years. Not necessarily winning all the national championships, but that’s good. We’ve been good for a long time. We run a good program and try to put a good product on the floor.”

Sain’s Kirkwood arrival reunited her with a pair of former club ball teammates at Team Iowa in Kirkwood sophomores Ella Kissell and Jenna Twedt.

“The addition of Kaliyah has been great,” Twedt said. “I have played with Kaliyah since I was in fifth grade. … Her ability to get to the rim, her ability to see the floor and finish in the paint is just amazing. Having a taller guard like her is definitely something that is very useful out on the floor.”

Twedt leads Kirkwood with 14.3 points per game and is the lone returning starter from last season’s national championship squad. Twedt and the other Kirkwood sophomores have given Sain an earful on what it takes to be the last team standing. The last time Kirkwood won back-to-back national titles was when it won four in a row from 2007-10.

“It would be amazing,” Sain said. “That is the end goal. I hope to experience that because I hear from the sophomores how amazing that experience was. That’s our end goal.”