08 Feb 2023 Riley Whittington – Mayflower (501 Basketball Team 2023)

Mayflower junior guard Riley Whittington will never forget the moment her basketball career began.

“My interest in basketball really came out of nowhere,” Whittington said. “I was a second-grade girl who had always been put in dance and gymnastics, so when I asked for a basketball goal for my birthday, my parents were in shock.”

Whittington has shone on the court ever since, growing into a leader by example for the Lady Eagles.

“Riley has the potential to be one of the best players in the conference,” Mayflower head coach Coty Storms said. “Everyone respects her. She encourages others and does what she can to make everybody around her better. I am looking forward to watching her grow as a player and a person.”

After falling in the Class 3A state quarterfinals last season, Whittington and the Lady Eagles have goals to make another deep postseason run.

“When the season began, I set three goals: to work on my shooting, to be more vocal and to work on my fear of failure,” Whittington said. “As a team, our goal is to go out every game with a good attitude and 110-percent effort. If we can do both of those things, then I can see us going very far in the postseason.”