Emma King, a junior at Lincoln County High School, committed to Kentucky in June – Photo courtesy of Emma King
It was the 5th grade when Emma King told her father, Eric King, that she would someday play basketball at the University of Kentucky. Not only was that King’s plan, it was also the plan God laid out perfectly for her. She made her dream a reality when she committed to the Wildcats in June.
King, a 5-11 junior from Lincoln County, received interest from some of the best programs in the country such as Florida, Indiana, and Louisville. However, the connection to the Wildcats and Big Blue Nation was already established before Matthew Mitchell extended an offer.
“I grew up with all things UK all around me,” said King. “I was raised in a home where, when Kentucky sports were on TV, we were watching them.”
That connection to Kentucky resulted in King quickly losing interest in other schools. She continued to take and make phone calls, but the excitement of speaking with Kentucky reached another level.
“It’s kind of hard to explain, but I just knew that no matter what, how good the school was or how great/nice the coaches were, that I wanted to go to UK,” she said. “I knew God was leading me there, and I can’t wait to fulfill what he has planned for me there.”
Rather than announcing her commitment via Twitter or social media, the UK commit delivered the news to Matthew Mitchell face to face. Often times, prospects announce commitments on social media, but King had so much respect and love for Kentucky that it was worth more than a simple tweet or phone call.
A standout at Lincoln County, King scored 18.0 points per game last season, where she joined the 1,000-point club. She is an excellent shooter and cashed in free throw opportunities, shooting 82% from the charity stripe her sophomore season.
When King isn’t playing for Lincoln County, she spends her summers traveling with Kentucky Premier, a participant of the Nike EYBL circuit. That opportunity led to college coaches getting a look at the junior sharpshooter and it also allowed King to compete against the best players in the country.
Despite being one of the best players in the state of Kentucky, King still finds it hard to believe she will be at Kentucky.
“I told dad when I was in 5th grade that someday I was going to play at the University of Kentucky. That was, of course, my 10 years old, high-hoping, big-dreaming self,” she said. “I never even thought it would actually happen.”
When she made her first phone call to the Kentucky staff, the UK commit felt overwhelmed and thought, “Could this dream I’ve actually had be something I could do? When Coach Mitchell extended an offer in July of 2016, King said, “I knew then that the aspiration I had for six years was finally coming true.”
In addition to growing up a fan of the Wildcats, Mitchell’s uptempo style of play factored into the decision and the lights out shooter is a perfect fit.
“It’s super fast paced,” she said. “That’s how I have always played, it’s how I like to play. They get quick shots up and crash the boards hard, which will be a good style of play for me at the collegiate level.”
Her biggest strength is the object of the game, her ability to score the basketball. Shooting the basketball will never be a problem, but King realizes she has things to work on before she wears the Kentucky jersey.
Heshimu Evans, a key contributor on the 1998 UK National Champion team, is currently helping King develop her strengths and improve her weaknesses on the floor. Evans is the founder of Heshimu Hoop Skills, a mobile basketball academy designed to mentor and develop young athletes.
“I’ve really enjoyed getting to work with him (Heshimu),” said King. “He’s been a great help to me and what I’ve been needing to work on. He highlights my strengths, and we work on my weaknesses.”
A hard worker on the floor, King is also excellent in the classroom, where she owns a 4.0-grade point average. When King arrives on campus in 2019, she will join sisters Jenna and Katie, who are students at the University of Kentucky.
Despite dreaming of playing for Kentucky for six years, she never really thought much about what it would be like when she puts on the Kentucky jersey.
“Oh goodness, for some reason I haven’t really thought of this until now, which seems kind of crazy,” she said. “But now that I am, I feel overjoyed. I can’t wait until I get to do that.”
King still has a while until she suits up for the Wildcats and her focus is on leading the Patriots to a Regional championship and an appearance in the state tournament. She will continue to improve her game and look forward to fulfilling the opportunity God provided her with, something very few athletes get the chance to do.
“I want to be an inspiration and I want to use UK as a platform to be able to be that inspiration to younger girls,” she said. “God has blessed me with so much, and I just want to share his love with others, and I think being at Kentucky will give me many great opportunities to do so.”
