Pair share the hardware
ouston’s best backcourt resided at Cypress Creek for the last four years.
Rori Harmon and Kyndall Hunter have the hardware to prove it. This year, the pair of University of Texas signees are co-winners for the inaugural Coach Anthony Fields Award, and both are McDonald’s AllAmericans.
They share the Houston Chronicle’s All-Greater Houston Girls Basketball Player of the Year honor, too.
The seniors are responsible for helping Cypress Creek to three state tournament berths in four years, ending their illustrious careers with two state runner-up trophies and a host of district and regional titles, MVP honors and other accolades.
This year, the pair averaged 18 points per game and were equally as dominant and must-see on the defensive end as Cy Creek finished 32-1.
They were painstakingly close to that elusive state championship on more than one occasion. However, as one door closes for this duo, another one opens with a promising college career and beyond on the horizon.
Q: You’ve had time to reflect on the season and your high school careers. What do you cherish the most?
Hunter: It’s just knowing that was my last high school game and my last time playing for (Cy Creek coach Jennifer Alexander) and thankfully not my last time playing with Rori. Receiving these honors, it kind of shows that wasn’t the end all be all. God is still blessing me and giving me amazing things. It shows the impact that me and Rori still had on Cy Creek.
Harmon: Quality time with my team and winning the games, of course. Then having those good moments with Coach A.
Q: Both of you embraced and hugged after the state title game against DeSoto. What was the moment like?
Harmon: Those are the moments you live for, especially with somebody that is really important to you like Kyndall is to me. We go through that stuff together, been doing it for four years and now it’s four years added to it. I’m glad it was Kyndall.
Hunter: We both knew how much we wanted it for each other. I just had to let her know that I got her regardless, and I told her this doesn’t define us. We’ve done amazing things and we’re just going to have to get it done on the next level.
Q: What is it like sharing honors?
Hunter: I was so happy they did it that way because I wouldn’t be the person I am without Rori, and I don’t think Rori would be the person that she is without me. So, just for us to be able to share our accolades the same way that we share our success, I liked it. Whenever I get an award and Rori doesn’t, I don’t like it, and she doesn’t either. When we first started playing, people kind of tried to play us against each other, but me and Rori know we’re always teammates, and we have each other’s backs.
Harmon: I’m proud of Kyndall. With how she plays, she deserves the awards.
For us to both get it, it means a lot to us.
Q: What is your relationship off the court like?
Harmon: It’s funny. It’s just too funny.
We joke around a lot. We’re definitely getting a lot closer as we get older. You can tell how off the court feeds into on the court and how close we are and our chemistry and us being able to read each other’s minds. It’s never a dull moment with me and her.
Hunter: Me and Rori, honestly, we bicker like sisters. Rori is always messing with me. We go out to eat, and we just hang out. I do her hair before the games. I do her edges. We just have a really fun relationship. We’re always laughing, we’re always making jokes, sending each other TikToks. We’ve very close, and it’s definitely something that’s developed over the years.
Q: Do you believe your play on the court and accomplishment transcends gender?
Harmon: A lot of people talk to me and Kyndall and they’d be like ‘You guys play like boys.’ I’m just like ‘Why can’t we just play like girls?’ Just because we’re playing hard and aggressive doesn’t mean we have to play like a dude. I think, not just me and Kyndall, but a lot of girls especially in the 2021 class are making people aware this is women’s basketball. This isn’t girls playing basketball like dudes.
Hunter: I think that’s one of our goals. When I started playing basketball, I used to play against boys. My dad would be like ‘It doesn’t matter if you’re a girl or a boy, you’re a basketball player.’ So, for us to be gaining respect for girls basketball, I think it’s just really showing how far girls basketball has come. Back in the day or when my dad was growing up, girls basketball wasn’t big. So, for people to call us the best backcourt regardless of gender, I think that’s saying a lot. It gives us a sense of pride because we’re helping grow the game for the people coming after us.