STEADY RECOVERY

Coach: Senior Cat ‘a tremendous rebounder’

As a sophomore, Kylen Milton moved from Class 3A Drew Central in Monticello to Class 7A Conway. It was a leap of basketball faith for the young man, who joined his mother when she moved to Faulkner County. “I really didn’t know what to expect,” said Milton, who had been at Drew Central since he was in the fourth grade. “I had all my friends back at Drew Central, and I was scared I wouldn’t make any friends. It was a big transition.” Milton’s faith was rewarded. Thanks to senior Travis Obannon, the sophomore transfer found friends and his place on the Wampus Cat team. “He took me under his wing, and I found a lot of friends quick,” Milton said. “I didn’t think I was going to play varsity my sophomore year, but I started some. That was good. Practices and the coach — it was just so different. The competition was so much bigger. We had coach [Will] Johnson, and he just really pushed me.” Johnson left and was succeeded by longtime assistant Brian “Salty” Longing last year. As a junior, Milton was set to start for the Wampus Cats until a freak accident put him on the sideline throughout the nonconference season. “He broke his [left] hand the day before our first game,” Longing said. “It was raining, and he was running up the stairs at school, slipped and put his hand down to catch himself and broke it. “He missed half the season, but we got him back at conference. It took him a few games to get back in shape and adjusted; then he really had a good stretch the last eight to 10 games of the season.” Milton, a 6-3 small forward/shooting guard, averaged 12 points and 6 rebounds per game once he finally got on the floor. Heading into his senior season, he is the River Valley & Ozark Edition Boys Basketball Player to Watch. The injury, which was to his nonshooting left hand, was still devastating. To keep in shape during his convalescence, Milton did a lot of running, and he practiced shooting with his right hand. Longing called Milton “long and really, really athletic.” “We expect the scoring to be about the same,” the coach said of Milton’s senior statistical effort. “We have several options, so we probably won’t have someone scoring 20 points per game. The scoring will be spread out. “Kylen is a tremendous rebounder, especially on the offensive end. We expect that stat to keep up, and he’s a really good defender. In conference last year, he led us in steals. He’s got long arms, is really athletic and anticipates well.” Off the floor, Milton also impresses his coach. “He’s a very good kid, laid-back with a really good personality,” Longing said. “He’s one of those even-keeled-type kids — not too high, not too low. He never gets too excited and is a really good student.” Longing said Milton had “a really, really good summer” of Amateur Athletic Union basketball. He got noticed by college coaches during some tournaments in Oklahoma and received an offer in May from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “That’s a mid-major Division I offer, and he spent the summer and fall trying to improve,” Longing said. Milton said he committed to ORU in June and that he will sign after the season. “When I took my official visit, it was really nice,” he said. “I think I’ll fit in well with them. The coaching staff is really cool.” But his major focus before moving to the next level is his senior season with the Wampus Cats. Milton has been itching to pick back up where they left off last year. “We did good in conference and finished third, and by the time the playoffs came, we were all hyped up, but we ended up going out in the first round [of the Class 7A State Tournament],” he said. “Winning the state title — that’s all this team dreams about. We want to win it for Conway and bring it back home.” Toward that end, Milton said, he is working to develop his jump shot, mental preparation and team chemistry. “I just try to be a great leader to the sophomores,” he said. “When I was a sophomore, the seniors were really good to me . ... “I feel like we can have a great year this year, a great record. We’re going to wake some people up. I’m very excited. I’ve been looking forward to this since we lost last year in the playoffs. It’s always been on my mind.” Longing — among others — is glad for the Milton family’s decision to move to Conway two years ago. “I don’t know what brought them here, but I’m really glad they’re here,” the coach said.