Since the middle of her freshman year, Kendall Grant has been on the varsity for Oswego.
During that time, however, things haven’t always gone well for the Panthers on the basketball court. Under new coach Venita Parsons, Grant has been trying to help the program turn a corner.
“As a player, everything she could do, everyone just has to trust her and believe we’re a different team than we were the past three years,” Grant said of Parsons. “I did a lot of preseason work.
“I think we just have to believe that we’re a good team. We have to get confidence.”
Some of those old feelings crept back Monday for Grant and Co. in a 41-23 nonconference loss to Dixon. The host Panthers were actually only down 10-7 at halftime before Dixon erupted.
Scoring the first 16 points of the third quarter, Dixon (7-0) took control and didn’t look back. Ahmyrie McGowan had a huge game, scoring 16 points with 16 rebounds and seven steals.
The 5-foot-11 Grant did her part for Oswego (4-3), scoring 10 points to go with 10 rebounds. The third quarter was emblematic of what Grant knows needs to change for the program.
Especially if the Panthers want to get back to their winning ways.
“We’re used to losing,” Grant said. “Sometimes, we have a bad first half and the other team has a bad first half and we just assume they’re going to have a great second half and we’re not.
“I’ve been working hard at becoming a better leader and keeping myself up because that’s important for everyone else to see.”
Parsons, a 2014 Oswego East graduate, knew what she was facing when she took the job.
“Changing the entire culture from last year has been really tough,” Parsons said. “Losing games shoots down everyone’s confidence. My intent is to get them to understand that even if a game isn’t going your way, you still have to fight.
“A few shots going in for the other team doesn’t mean the game is over.”
That said, Parsons is pleased she has a veteran like Grant to lean on.
“She has a great basketball IQ,” Parsons said. “She’s constantly talking to her teammates, which definitely takes a lot off of me as the coach. She already knows what the deal is and knows what she wants to do and communicates to her teammates.”
On the court, Grant’s game has evolved through the years. She was primarily a post player her first two seasons before expanding her game to the perimeter last winter.
“At the end of my sophomore year, I started shooting a little bit more,” Grant said. “Last year, I was kind of more inside and out.
“This year, I’ve been inside and out, but my shot hasn’t been falling recently, so I’ve been focusing on being inside more and letting the shots come to me.”
Parsons is doing her best to keep Grant’s confidence up in the midst of that slump.
“When you’re talking about somebody who is over 5-foot-9 who can score, who can shoot, who can play inside and out, that’s definitely hard to guard,” Parsons said. “You definitely like to have somebody like that and let along the kind of leader she is as well.
“Even the best shooters get into funks, so it’s just keeping her head high, helping her with her skills inside the paint so she knows when her shot isn’t falling that she can still make something happen down low.”
Last month, Grant also made a decision about her future, keeping her basketball and golf careers going next year at North Central College.
“I was back and forth between the two and I ultimately decided that I couldn’t give one up,” Grant said. “I decided to pick a school that would let me work with that.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.