By Scott Nickerson
Elmore/Autauga News
As a 5’4 freshman guard, KeLeigh Mullens wasn’t the biggest or tallest player on the basketball court for the Prattville Lady Lions, but she didn’t let her size, or her age, hold her back.
Mullens had an amazing season as a 9th grader for the Class 7A Lions. She was named to the All-Tournament team in the Autauga County Tournament, the Area Tournament, and the Regional Tournament. She was Most Valuable Player in the Regional Tournament. She was also named 1st Team All-Metro, and she earned Class 7A 3rd Team All-State honors given by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.
Mullens admitted to having nerves at the beginning of the season, but she quickly gelled with her teammates as the Lions started winning more and more games. “To be honest, for me, it was about playing the game. I’ve always been competitive, but I feel Coach D pushed me and I felt as a freshman I had a job to do. And carrying the weight of wearing her #10 jersey pushed me to be a better teammate and player.”
In her first varsity season, Mullens shot 46% from the field. The guard grabbed an amazing 151 rebounds. Perhaps her biggest area of impact came on the defensive side, where her elite on ball defense led to 147 steals and 140 deflections.
Prattville Coach Erica DuBois had high praise for Mullens. “Everyone knows KeLeigh can score, she’s just smooth! But KeLeigh is also the key to our defense. Her quick hands and great on ball defense allowed us to have the success we had defensively, which allowed us to have success offensively. It’s not everyday that you get a freshman that comes in and makes the impact that she has made, but Miss Mullens has done just that! Her teammates and I were thrilled for her to come in and be our missing piece.”
That missing piece propelled the Lions through the regular season and into the playoffs, where Mullens continued her strong play. She earned MVP honors for the Regional Tournament after victories over Mary G. Montgomery and Enterprise. The Lions advanced to the Class 7A Final Four for the first time since 1998, where they fell to Hoover, the eventual 7A state champ.
The Lions finished the season with a 24-5 record, but their eyes are set on returning to the Final Four in Birmingham next season. They are already hard at work. “I first work on my mental state of mind,” Mullens said. “I remind myself daily that I’m only as good as the work I put in. I do my summer work out with Coach D which I can barely walk afterwards, and still manage to train outside of school two to three times a week with my personal trainer that works on different skill levels of the game. I also continue to try and build chemistry with my possible future teammate.”
Mullens knows that chemistry and morale are important if the Lions are to return to the Final 4 in 2024. “I want to make sure that our morale for the upcoming season is even better than last year. My goal is to help make an impact so that we can return to the Final Four and redeem ourselves. I believe in this team and feel we have to put in hard work as well as dedication! I know a lot people are questioning if can we do the same thing we did last year. Coach D pushes us and reminds us that if we are determined that nothing or no one can get in our way. U’llyriah, our only senior this year, has definitely motivated me that anything is possible and that if we can get through Coach D’s workouts, we can get through anything!”
Mullen’s ultimate goal is to be the first member of her family to play in college. But for now, she has a determined mindset to outwork her competition the last three years of high school. She lives with the reminder, “Push yourself, or get beat while everyone else is working.”
