LaMyah Ricks was done with basketball. Or so she thought. 
 
Having played her entire life – "I can't remember a time where I wasn't on the basketball court" – she was pondering something different.  
 
"I wasn't really considering basketball my senior year of high school; I was kind of burned out," Ricks said. "I wasn't going to play and then once the quarantine hit, I realized how I couldn't do anything, I couldn't get my hands on a ball." 
 
Attending a nearby junior college and becoming a dental hygienist was one idea, but everything changed with the arrival of the COVID pandemic. 
 
"It ended our high school season, so having that taken away I realized how much I truly love the sport and I never wanted that to happen again," Ricks said. "I was always reminded how much of an impact I made on other people on the court and that kind of brought me back to it." 
 
Ricks played her senior season at De Soto High School and was playing for her club team, Kansas Elite, when then Kansas Wesleyan assistant coach Carolyn Jenkins saw her play in Colorado. KWU head coach Ryan Showman contacted her and the rest, as they say, is history. 
 
Ricks is in her fourth season with the Coyotes and third as their irrepressible starting point guard. She earned Kansas Conference Honorable Mention recognition her sophomore season and was a Second Team selection as a junior a year ago. Her senior season has been no different with Ricks orchestrating KWU's efforts on both ends of the court. 
 
She enters this week averaging 11.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals. She averaged 10.9 points last season and 8.9 during 2021-22. 
 
Though standing just 5-foot-4 Ricks does a masterful job impersonating a middle linebacker – the epitome of relentless toughness. 
 
"My dad (David) always taught me growing up to be big and stay big," said Ricks, her right knee a combination of black, blue and gray-colored bruises from her previous game when she ran full speed into the bleachers inside Mabee Arena. "I know I'm not a big body, so I just have to fight for myself and emphasize strength training. I have to pop back up and be ready for the next play." 
 
It's a reflection of her upbringing. 
 
"I've always trained with boys and I still do to this day when I go back home in the summer," she said. "I kind of get beat up all the time, I'm kind of used to it. It's making me better." 
 
"I've gotten to a point where I no longer have to look over there to make sure she pops up, I know she's going to pop back up," Showman said. "That's just the player she is, she makes those plays for her teammates and for herself. 
 
"She can take a beating; she can play a physical basketball game but she's also mentally tough. She allows me to coach her hard, she allows me to hold her to a high standard and then she turns around and holds her teammates to that standard." 
 
Ricks credits her development to her family starting with her father. David played at Independence Community College and Saint Mary's, Texas; her brother Payten played four years at Abilene Christian. 
 
"I always looked up to my brother and followed in his footsteps and kind of did what he did and that kind of got me here," she said. 
 
David and his wife Melanie are constant spectators at her games and have an impact as evidenced during a recent game in Mabee Arena against Avila. 
 
"My dad talks to me; I can hear him and can pick out his voice," LaMyah said. "Last game I wasn't shooting very well so during a free throw I stood at the half court line and asked him what I was doing wrong with my shot, and he told me. He knows my shot more than anyone and can correct it in five seconds." 
 
Father and daughter have been and are frequent gym companions during the offseason.  
 
"My dad works at Drive 5 (Sports in Overland Park), it's a basketball gym so I go back there in the summers and train four or five times a week," she said. "He also a trainer himself and I joined in on his training sessions." 
 
She does so with Showman's blessing. 
 
"I say, 'here's some things you did well, here's the things you need to work on for us within our offense to get better at' and I know she works with her dad a lot on that stuff," he said. "I know he sees the same things and so it's nice to know that she's getting pushed over the summer." 
 
Ricks sat out KWU's game at Sterling, a thrilling 99-94 double overtime victory – the first game she had missed during her college career. Freshman backup point guard Odessa Ozuna stepped in and scored 26 points, to Ricks' delight. 
 
"I was just really proud of our team and how everyone was there to step up fill the spot," she said. "Just seeing that the point guards could step up and fill my shoes was really cool to see. I made a couple of comments to (Ozuna), but I didn't want to keep her distracted. Just kept encouraging her and she did what she needed to do." 
 
"It wasn't 'boo-hoo, why was it me?'" Showman said. "It was 'what can I do to help the team win?' The consummate team player that she is and wants to do right by her teammates." 
 
Ricks can return for a fifth season in 2024-25 having a COVID year available if she so desires. That decision will come later.
 
"It would be a dream come true to have her for another year," Showman said. "She's really close with a lot of the players on the team especially a couple of the juniors. … So, to be able to finish with that group of friends I know would mean a lot to LaMyah, not to mention I would love to be able to coach her for another year. 
 
"She's one of the best I've coached."