The feeling of something fitting just right, having all of your homework done, or knowing every answer to a test, all resemble the feelings of perfection senior Kayla Deeble experiences on the court. It’s something she learned during her time in Shelby and Calgary, Canada.
“I’ve always had this draw to basketball,” she said.
Deeble has been playing basketball her whole life, starting young in the fourth grade. when she lived in Shelby. Deeble’s team at the time was made up of mostly middle schoolers, pitting her up against older seventh graders. Though due to her height, she fell into place on her team quickly.
Currently, Deeble competes as a power-forward for CMR, and occasionally a center or post. She said her job is to guard the ball and keep it away from the goal, or create openings for her teammates.
“I try to protect the basket and bully out the other players,” she said.
Since Deeble’s move back to Great Falls, she’s had to adapt to new playing styles and minor rule changes in the game. Some of these changes include different shot clock times and different positioning on the court. In Calgary she played down at the block (in other words by the goal) that became her homebase, yet here at CMR she plays more at the three-point line. Despite the challenge, she admits she enjoys the change and learning experience
“It’s been nice to stretch my boundaries and get out of my comfort zone and learn a lot by being on the outside,” she said.
Deeble’s fourth move her senior year was not an easy one, picking up and leaving behind her life in Canada, especially considering it was her last year in high school. She was forced to leave behind her friends, her team, and what had become her home. Despite her frequent moves and changes in her environment, she found an outlet and resource through basketball.
“Having moved a lot, it’s been really hard, but I’ve always been able to rely on basketball to make new friends,” she said.
Deeble said her move to Great Falls in October 2024 was a lot easier because of how supportive and welcoming her team was, more specifically the other senior on the team: Avery Youngblood.
“Avery first reached out to me when I was still in Calgary and was really helping me get that smooth transition here,” she said.
Deeble said how nervous she was coming to CMR at first, but once she met her team and started to make those connections, she felt at home again like she did in Canada.
In the last three months since joining, Deeble has made memories with her team, and grown connected with her newfound sport family.
Deeble recounted her favorite team memory from this season, the Billings Senior game where they had been 3 points behind and were down on time. As the time ran out on the clock Junior Kieva Maples shot from the three-point line, which allowed the team to go into overtime.
“Everybody just runs onto the court and is just celebrating. We still lost that game but it was one of the coolest moments,” she said.
Deeble detailed many highlights from the season, the best plays, the best team moments, but she also shared the first personal highlight she has from her career, the moment she found that love for basketball.
Deeble’s first game in fourth grade continues to be one of her most memorable moments, as it is what sparked her love for the game and ignited the passion she has now for the sport.
“I was in the middle of the game, fighting with this girl for the ball, and I just looked up at my dad and he shook his fist at me and he’s like “You got this”, then this light switch just went off and this beast emerged and I just ripped the thing out of her hands.”
Profound memories like those are what makes the sport so worth it for her, she said. Being able to look back so far to see when basketball became such a big part of her life, leaving her to wonder if she’s ready to leave that part of her life behind.
“It’ll definitely be sad, playing it for so long, and it’s always sad to close a chapter in your book, but I also look forward to making my new chapter as well,” she said.
Deeble’s basketball career is coming to an end as the season creeps to a close, leaving behind seven years of basketball after this year. Her basketball career has been a huge block of her life, and to leave that behind will be a hard transition. However, she said she doesn’t regret one bit of it, and recommends the sport to anyone craving competition, strategic gameplay, or even is just looking for a team to be a part of.
Basketball has taught her skills she can use for the rest of her life aside from just the game itself, and anyone anywhere can use those skills, she said.
”I highly recommend basketball to anyone who has a competitive spirit,” she said, ”It teaches you things other than just dribbling and shooting, but also leadership skills and teamwork.”
