Friday, March 21, 2008

Former Barracuda receives All-American honors

Photo by Marny Malin-Lynetta Kizer holds a basketball, which represents her career in the sport since age 9 when she played for Fort Belvoir.

Lynetta Kizer’s basketball career started on the courts of Fort Belvoir when she was 9 years old. Every shot she took drew her closer to an eventual scholarship with the Maryland Terrapins women’s basketball team, where she will play this fall.

But nothing prepared her for her latest honor: a spot on the McDonald’s All-American high school girls’ basketball team.

Lynetta was also recognized as an All-American by the Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Association.

“I was just elated,” said Yvonne Kizer, Lynetta’s mother. “It’s been a whirlwind.”

The Kizers will travel to Milwaukee to see Lynetta suit up for the annual game, which airs at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday on ESPNU.

Lynetta fully appreciates the importance of this recognition. “I’m excited to play on the [All-American] team,” she said. “It recognizes so many girls that have done well across the country. It’s kind of an honor to be nominated and chosen to play in this game.”

Yvonne recalled the February day the Kizers received the exciting news. There was one catch: the McDonald’s selection committee barred the Kizers from saying a word until the final list was publicly released.

“She [Lynetta] got the call about three weeks before the official announcement, but they [the selection committee] wouldn’t let her talk about it to anyone,” Yvonne said. “It was so hard. She had great news and couldn’t share it.”

Lynetta has plenty to prepare for off the court as well. While the 6-4 guard hits the gym day in and day out to keep her basketball skills fresh, she’s also been invited to speak at the Belvoir Barracudas basketball awards banquet March 29.

Her message will be simple. “I just want to talk about how much the program meant to me,” she said. “That’s why I started playing ball. And just tell the young kids to stick with it.

“Good things can come out of this program,” she continued. “You just have to be willing to work hard and everything will be fine.”

Lynetta said playing at Belvoir gave her fundamentals that stuck with her throughout her career. She said she became a tougher, smarter player as a Barracuda, and Yvonne couldn’t be more pleased with her daughter.

“You know, sometimes I just look at her and I still find it so amazing for that little girl to be where she is now,” she said. “I am so, so proud of her. It was a lot of hard work and dedication on her part. She’s skilled and has always had talent, but she stays humble and has the drive to improve.”
That drive will carry her far in her freshman season with the Terrapins as well. Maryland is expected to lose players this year, practically a guarantee Lynetta will make an immediate impact. She remains cool, preparing herself mentally for the intensity of the college game.
“I’m pretty sure I’ll learn a lot, more than I’ve learned in all my years of playing basketball,” she said. “I have to be willing to learn from my teammates.”
Even so, Lynetta acknowledges where it all began. “[Belvoir] was basically the foundation that got me started playing basketball. I just kept growing from there.”