Not that it was much of a surprise or anything, but the accolades continue to add up for Stailee Heard. The Sapulpa senior basketball star added another one Thursday afternoon when she was presented with the Miss Basketball Oklahoma award by VYPE Oklahoma for the 2022-23 season.
Surrounded by her coaches, parents and teammates, Heard accepted yet another honor with calm grace.
“It hasn’t hit yet, but it’s a great honor,” Heard said. “I’m very blessed. I just have to say thanks to my awesome parents and my coaches and teammates that made me better. Awesome high school career, best four years of my life. It hasn’t sunk in yet.”
So add this to the list of achievements for her stellar senior season, which includes Frontier Valley Conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, All-State honors, Tulsa World Player of the Year finalist, Class 5A state tournament Most Valuable Player, her second 5A state championship in the last three years and Sapulpa High School Female Athlete of the Year, among others.
After averaging 19.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, four assists and 2.5 steals per game, while leading the Chieftains to a 25-2 record and the 5A state championship – where she scored 41 points in the final (including 18 in the fourth quarter and the game-winning basket with two seconds remaining), it was certainly a memorable season for Heard.
“Looking back on the season, just from the very beginning, I was really looking forward to getting into basketball, coming into my senior year from volleyball,” Heard said. “Team camps flew by, volleyball flew by and next thing you know, we had our tournaments and next thing you know, we’re already in regionals. It flew by but it was great.”
From the perspective of Sapulpa coach Darlean Calip, there isn’t a more deserving player for this award. Besides her skill and production on the court, Heard provided crucial leadership for the Chieftains this season and Calip feels that made a big difference.
“She’s just one of those kids that’s earned everything that she’s gotten,” Calip said of Heard. “She’s put in the work and this is just an honor for recognizing that hard work. For us this season, and just throughout her career, she’s been a staple in our program, setting the tone, creating a work ethic. She’s always in the gym so kids have learned to follow that. She’s just been a great example from a leadership standpoint.
“This year, she was tremendous from a leadership standpoint. That was one of the things that I challenged her to do from the beginning, because she is a quiet kid. But she doesn’t have to lead vocally, she can lead with her actions and her efforts, and I felt like she did that this year for us. As a result, it helped us win the state championship.”
The 5-foot-11 Heard recently capped off her high school career with an appearance in the Who’s NXT All-American Game in South Carolina.
“It was very different, players from different places; never seen half of these players and they’re all really pretty good,” she said. “Older girls, more physical, faster pace, of course – it was fun. Definitely a very good experience, I got to meet a variety of people – just another experience.”
After graduating last weekend, Heard will be heading to Oklahoma State in a couple of weeks and is excited to embark on the next chapter of her career.
“I’m excited to meet new people, get with new coaches,” she said. “(It will be a) very different environment, very different style of basketball, more fast-paced and just ready to meet new teammates and be up there in Stillwater. I feel like it’s a great fit for me. I just felt like coach (Jacie Hoyt) and her coaching staff, they really care. It’s not just about basketball. They want you to succeed and excel in life and it’s about growing up and being a young woman and learning how to take care of yourself. They just made it feel like home.”
Calip admitted that the Chieftains will definitely miss Heard’s presence on the court next season, but her legacy of leadership and how she helped guide the younger players, like previous stars such as Temira Poindexter (who is now at TU) did for her, will endure.
“Yes, we’re absolutely going to miss everything about what she has brought to our program, not only on the court but off the court,” Calip acknowledged. “But she set an example for these young kids to follow, and I was visiting with a couple of them the other day, just about previous leaders and how everybody leads differently. And this (upcoming) senior group, I want them to lead within their personalities, that they don’t have to be a Stailee or a Temira Poindexter.”
