Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Pratt has her say-so for UALR
Kaitlyn Pratt was bothered all offseason by how last season ended. Then, a midsummer talk with her coach kicked an altered mentality into an even higher gear.
Both events just a couple of months apart have helped transform the senior forward into what could be the biggest reason the UALR women’s basketball team is in position to win the Sun Belt Conference title.
Heading into tonight’s game against Georgia Southern at the Jack Stephens Center, UALR (19-7, 13-1) leads the Sun Belt standings by two games with four remaining.
The Trojans can clinch a first-round bye in next month’s Sun Belt Tournament with one more victory. They’re also one victory and a Troy loss or two victories from clinching at least a share of the regular-season title and the top seed.
Pratt is one of the biggest reasons why after she’s taken on the role of team spokesman while putting things into perspective after every victory or serving as the team’s reality check after each loss.
“I’m not trying to go crazy or anything,” she said. “But I’m just trying to do what I’m supposed to do for this team.”
That starts on the floor, where the 6-1 Pratt is averaging 14.2 points per game,
almost 5 points higher than last year, and a team-best 6.4 rebounds. But, perhaps even more important has been Pratt’s ability to keep her teammates going in the right direction.
For example, UALR beat Appalachian State 67-55 last month at the Stephens Center, its 10th consecutive victory. But neither Coach Joe Foley or Pratt were pleased, and both expressed so afterward.
“I tried to tell them that, ‘OK, we won, this feeling is great, but we can feel a better feeling toward the end of the year by winning the Sun Belt Championship,’” Pratt said. “I know the feeling of winning a couple of games. But I also know the feeling of wining a championship.
“I understand that, but some of my teammates don’t understand that. So that’s what I tried to explain to them.”
Pratt was a sophomore on the Trojans’ team that reached the second- round of the NCAA Tournament in 2015, averaging 7 points and 4.6 rebounds over 23.9 minutes. She was a key contributor last year and helped in almost getting UALR back. But the Trojans lost in the closing seconds to Troy, 6160, in the Sun Belt final and had to accept a WNIT berth.
“If I would have got that rebound or just would have scored that layup, maybe we could have won,” said Pratt, who had 9 points and 9 rebounds in that game.
Foley points to a different moment that helped spark Pratt’s determination. It was during summer-time meetings that he had with each of his seniors: Pratt, guard Sharde Collins and forward Keanna Keys. The message was similar to meetings Foley had most years, but feels Pratt’s response produced a more significant change.
“Kaitlyn is one of the ones that has made practice enjoyable,” Foley said. “She says there’s no use looking at the negatives, lets be positive. Let’s see what we can get done and lets go as hard as we can. That’s what changed the whole atmosphere, and that’s why we’ve done what we’ve done.”
Foley wasn’t sure what to expect from Pratt this season because she’s never had to be a focal point. For three seasons she played behind or alongside Shanity James, who finished her career second on UALR’s all-time rebounds list and fifth in scoring.
That unknown and Pratt’s physical limitations led to questions in October. But work with assistant Steve Wiedower on footwork around the basket have helped Pratt become one of the Sun Belt’s best inside scorers, and her growing confidence in sending her teammates a message has helped set a point of focus, too.
“She’s not a great athlete,” Foley said. “She’s just been playing hard. She had some games that didn’t go very well and so she’s been playing hard. There’s been very few times where I had to set her down for not playing hard, and that’s a pleasure.”