CENTERBURG — Kayla Larimore was not difficult to spot sitting with her basketball coach, Bill Abner in a nearly empty Centerburg High School cafeteria.
Her letterman’s jacket was emblazoned with patches and other symbols of her athletic success as a Trojan.
On Larimore’s jacket are letters from cross country and golf, but basketball has been the area in which she has excelled. When she is not on the basketball court, she is drawn to the outdoors where she enjoys hunting and fishing.
“I like running, it’s kind of weird but I like working out too,” she said with a smile.
All of that running and working out is paying off for Larimore. Next school year she will be attending the University of Northwestern Ohio on a full scholarship where she plans to major in business.
“I would like to have my own landscaping business,” she said.
Kayla credits her family, teammates and coaches for helping her achieve a career that has gone over 1,000 points.
“They have helped me a lot, guiding me, giving me direction and giving me the tools I need to succeed,” Larimore said.
What goes into success on the court?
“Mentally I would say it’s just a lot of practice and preparation, we watch a lot of film,” she said. “I just try to find out, what is this person going to do, what are their strengths and weaknesses?”
The physical side of the game takes as much if not more preparation.
“I do a lot of stretching and try to get my body ready,” she noted.
Kayla is not concerned that an ankle injury earlier in the season will hamper her.
“I’ve been doing a lot of cryo recently which is really good, it helps a lot so basically it’s OK,” Larimore added.
Abner believes that Larimore is among the best he has coached.
“It’s easy for a coach to take a player like Kayla for granted,” Abner said. “You have someone that you can rely on every game and you put that in the back of your mind and focus on other players knowing what you are going to get from Kayla.
“She has been everything for us. We have a lot of talented kids on this team but what makes Kayla different is I know Kayls’s going to bring it every game,” Abner said.
Larimore had 16 points in a tough loss to Fredericktown in last week’s Knox Morrow Athletic Conference championship game. But it didn’t diminish a fine season for her or the Trojans.
Raised in Knox County, Larimore is leaving her future wide open.
“I’m going to go wherever the wind takes me,” Larimore said. “If it takes me out of state, then I’ll be out of state, but if it keeps me here, then I’m going to stay here.”