By DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN
FHSU University Relations and Marketing
The Fort Hays State University cheer squad doesn’t travel to most Tiger road games.
But the FHSU women’s basketball team has a spirited cheerleader of its own, and she is a welcome sight at the end of the Tiger bench.
Freshman Kinly Grubb can be seen clapping and yelling at Fort Hays State games, cheering on her teammates from start to finish.
It’s a stark contrast to the role Grubb has played for sports teams since she was 5 years old. But the 5-foot-10 guard from Odessa, Mo., is patient enough to wait her turn. After all, she is still a major part of one of the best women’s teams in the nation.
The Tigers, ranked third in NCAA Division II, are the top seed for this weekend’s Central Region Championships at Gross Memorial Coliseum. They open play at 5 p.m. today vs. No. 8 seed Pittsburg State University. A complete schedule and other tournament information can be found at fhsuathletics.com.
Fort Hays State is 30-1 this season, and teammates and coaches credit Grubb’s enthusiasm as a boost to their morale when the going gets tough.
It’s a job that Grubb has come to thoroughly enjoy, but one she had to get used to after starting all four years for her high school team.
Following a preseason practice last fall, Tiger assistant coach Talia Kahrs had a talk with newcomers to the team.
“We freshmen didn’t get in a preseason game, and in the locker room afterwards, Coach told us we could make the choice to be a really good teammate and support everyone or be unhappy,” Grubb said. “I think I really took that to heart.”
Grubb, of course, was disappointed when she called home to Odessa, Mo., and talked to her parents.
“They told me to accept my role and to give it my all, no matter what I was doing,” she said. “My mom told me I could change the whole energy of the building, that I could make a difference. Not being on the court has been an adjustment for sure, but I want to make a difference in whatever I do.”
Grubb has seen limited action in 13 games this season but embraces her new role.
She can be seen raising her arms high in the air when a 3-pointer goes through the net or jumping around on the sideline after a good play by a teammate.
“I even get up on the chairs to cheer sometimes,” she said with a big smile. “I usually lose my voice during games.”
The strawberry blonde bundle of energy was a common sight for those watching Grubb play just about every sport imaginable while growing up. Throughout high school, she competed in cross country, basketball, tennis, soccer and track and field.
But her favorite sport was basketball. By her junior year, Grubb was getting some looks from Division I schools, and she had some experience with that level of competition.
Her older sister played soccer for Creighton University in Omaha, and her younger sister has committed to the University of Missouri soccer program next year.
But middle sister was intrigued by the stories her parents told of playing ball in a strong D-II conference.
Joe and Tami Grubb could attest to the strong competition at the D-II level as both played in the MIAA (her dad played football at the University of Central Missouri, and her mom, volleyball at Pittsburg State.)
“My parents told me all about the MIAA. I didn’t want to just be a number at a D-I school,” Grubb said. “I wanted to go somewhere where I could make a difference.”
Coaches and fellow players say Grubb has definitely made a difference this year.
“I think it holds everyone else accountable to have a good attitude, even the people next to her on the bench,” Tiger Assistant Coach Talia Kahrs said. “If they see that someone who isn’t even playing is having that positive of an attitude, it carries over to everyone else.”
Senior starting point guard Carly Heim was aware of Grubb’s presence at the end of the bench this season. But after suffering a season-ending knee injury during a road game at the University of Nebraska-Kearney, Heim now has a whole new appreciation for Grubb, saying her enthusiasm is contagious.
“Now that I’m on the bench by her, I see that she says a whole lot of things like ‘nice screen, work hard, nice shot,’ that I’m thinking but not saying,” Heim said. “Her energy helps keep our energy up, and it flows down the bench.”
The Tigers came back from a 20-point deficit in that Kearney game to beat the Lopers by 10 points in overtime. Kahrs attributed part of that successful run to Grubb’s enthusiasm.
“When we were down at Kearney, we looked down the bench and saw her energy,” Kahrs said. “It made us realize we were capable of coming back. It carries over to everyone else.”
Head Coach Tony Hobson said he might have to recruit “another ball of energy” as Grubb works her way up the bench and into more playing time.
“We’ve had kids who are real enthusiastic before, but Kinly has taken to it to a different level,” Hobson said. “That’s just who she is, and we hope she can use that energy to eventually get into the rotation.”
Grubb is not afraid of hard work.
“I know I have my work cut out for me,” she said, “but I’m not shy about putting in the work. My parents told me the MIAA is the toughest conference out there, so to be ready for a fight.”
Each of the players’ photos are posted on a bulletin board outside the Tiger women’s locker room in GMC, with answers to a few questions about their experience at FHSU.
Asked to list her favorite part of being a Tiger, Grubb answered: “I haven’t been here long, but so far my favorite part has been the impromptu dance battles we have in the weight room.”
That was early in the season. That answer continues to change as Grubb cheers her team on to victory after victory.
