Jeff Kaley
WAURIKA — Since she debuted in a Waurika varsity uniform four years ago, the points have rolled up in eye-popping fashion. There’s never been any doubt: When it came to playing basketball, Brittany Elkins could score.
Her final season attests to that.
When the Lady Eagles’ 2008-09 season ended with a loss to Fletcher in the first round of the Class A district tournament, it was one more confirmation of Elkins’ ability as a point producer. The senior guard led all scorers with 20 points, while no other player in the game scored more than 12.
Those points capped a final season in which Elkins averaged 21.7 points per game, up 4 points from the 17 point average she accumulated in the first three years of her career. Of the 951 points the Lady Eagles scored in the 2008-09 campaign, Elkins produced 455.
Whether it was 3-pointers, mid-range jumpers, slashes to the basket or her patented fadeaways from anywhere on the floor, Brittany Elkins could keep a scoreboard clicking — clicking at a rate no other Waurika female player had ever achieved.
When she tossed in those final 20 tallies on Friday, it brought Elkins’ career point total to 1,576, which is believed to be a school record for a Lady Eagle.
But in the background of all that scoring, when he reflects on Elkins’ four seasons at Waurika, Roger Jessie sees much more than points per game.
“Everyone knew she could score, but I think the highest compliment I can give Brittany is that she was a complete player,” said Jessie, who was WHS’ assistant coach when Elkins was a freshman and head man the last three seasons.
“Because of all the points she scored, what a lot of people don’t realize is that Brittany was a good passer and a good ball-handler from the start,” he continued. “Then as a junior and senior, she became our leading rebounder and also turned into a good defensive player.
“Brittany’s a prime example of what a player can do if they consistently work at it. She turned into a good, complete ball player.”
As it is with many athletes at smaller schools, Elkins has kept a hectic schedule at Waurika. She was a standout softball player from the get-go and three years ago, Elkins helped launch a girls golf program at WHS, while at the same time competing as a high jumper and long jumper on the track team.
There’s been success in those sports; four-times all-conference and all-area in softball, WHS’ first female to play in a state golf tourney and a state meet appearance as a high jumper in track.
Still, the self-confessed “gym rat” admits, basketball is her passion.
“I like playing all the sports, but basketball is my favorite,” Elkins said. “When I was a freshman, softball was what I really liked, and I still like it a lot. But I like basketball more.
“Getting the (scoring) record is exciting. I didn’t know that I could ever score that many points in a career, but it feels like I’m leaving a little something behind.”
Some of Elkins’ athletic prowess is genetic. Her grandfather Gene Elkins played on some outstanding Waurika football teams in the 1950s, and her earliest sports hero was cousin Deralin Ritter, a star all-around athlete, who graduated from WHS in 2000.
“My grandpa Gene played on (Waurika’s) state champion team, and I looked up to my cousin Deralin Ritter. I wear No. 21 because of her,” Brittany said.
It’s not all in the blood, though. Sports has been Elkins’ “thing,” and like most good players, she put in time outside organized practices developing basketball skills.
“I usually come up to the gym every Sunday and there’s guys playing, and I get into pick-up games with them,” she said. “I’m often just by myself working on shooting and dribbling.”
Somewhere along the way, Elkins decided being a scorer wasn’t enough, and that’s when the complete player began to emerge.
Waurika’s top rebounder the past two seasons, Elkins grinned when acknowledging she felt good about expanding her game.
“I went to basketball camp at Oklahoma Christian (University) last summer and I got named best rebounder,” she noted. “The rebounding just came along. I learned how to get position, and when I saw people shoot, I just tried to get to the ball.”
Elkins’ extra work and development weren’t lost on Jessie, who also appreciates the attitude that came with the athletic package.
“As I watched her grow up, I saw the discipline and the work ethic Brittany possesses,” he said. “She was always working to improve her game. She led us with 6.1 rebounds this year and did a good job defensively, and she also shot 78.7 percent on free throws, which shows she developed a great mental attitude.
“She saw a lot of ‘junk’ defenses, because (opponents) realized she was our scorer. She always found ways to work through that and get her points, but she was also willing to be used as a decoy at times.
“Brittany adjusted to what it was she needed to do to help us, and nothing ever panicked her, nothing every fazed her.”
Becoming a well-rounded player could open some doors in the future. Several small colleges have kept in touch with Elkins for the past two years, but she’s not made a commitment.
“Hopefully,” she said, “I can get a scholarship somewhere. I may go to some tryouts or I might go to a junior college first and see what it’s like to play at the college level.”
That decision may not come until Elkins finishes a busy spring. There’s a golf season ahead and Elkins would like to keep honing skills in that sport, which she didn’t start playing until her sophomore year.
She’d also like to make a return trip to the Class A State Track Meet.
“I went to state in golf and track as a sophomore, but last spring I kind of lost interest was focused on basketball,” she said. “I’d like to go back to state again.”
Achieving those goals would cap a high school career Elkins has learned passes quickly.
“It was very sad to play my last (high school) basketball game,” she said. “As a freshman, I thought, ‘Well, there’s three more years.’ But before I knew it, whew, it was gone!”
