Brooklyn Daugherty is the only senior in a Daviess County High School girls’ basketball program that has grown increasingly competitive over her three seasons as a starter under third year head coach John Kirkpatrick.
Two years ago the Lady Panthers went 7-22. Last year they improved to 10-19. This year, DC stands between 5 and 6 to 11 games despite a serious injury to a key player and stops and starts due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Coach K has flipped the program since I came here,” said Daugherty, a 5-foot-9 striker who averages 7.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. “We have gotten a lot better over the last three seasons and with the young talent we have I believe the program will continue to improve.
“I think we had a pretty good season. We lost a good young eighth grader Lily Hoagland to a torn ACL and that hurt us because she is very talented, but we continued to play well together and continued to come together as a team. “
Kirkpatrick says Daugherty played an important role in this regard.
“Brooklyn has improved significantly as both a player and a leader over the past three years,” said Kirkpatrick. “She sets the bar high for what it means to be a student athlete because she’s one of the best in her class, despite mostly taking all college courses.
“Despite the adversity that came with the pandemic, she showed real optimism and commitment to the program. I am forever grateful to have seen her grow over the past three years, and I know that she will be successful with whatever the future holds. “
Daugherty credits Kirkpatrick for straightening her sophomore year.
“I’ve had a bad attitude this season and he has helped me change that. He has helped me understand that it’s not about myself, it’s about the whole team,” said Daigherty. “It has helped me both as a player and as a person and I appreciate him for that.”
Daugherty is now the executive director of the program.
“As the only senior I tried to move up the leader this season,” said Daugherty. “I tried to help our younger players and walk them through everything we went through as a program.
“As far as my basketball goes, I think I’ve become a more rounded player over the course of my career. As a newbie, I couldn’t dribble the ball very well, but I’ve worked hard since then to become a better ball handler – I’ve gotten a lot better at that. “
Daugherty’s long-term plans are to attend medical school at the University of Louisville and become a pediatric surgeon. For now, however, she’s focused on getting her senior season as Lady Panther to a right end.
“I like where we are now because we’re closer than ever as a team,” said Daugherty. “We just have to stick together through whatever adversity we might face. Coach K did a good job staying positive through all of this and we have to do the same.
“We just have to keep pushing – go as far as possible in the postseason.”
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