Senior point guard Stevie Stinchcomb is called the floor General for the 2021/2022 State Champion Lady Buffs. The Emporia State commit is all-in when it comes to playing ball and being a good teammate. We caught up with the senior to find out more about what makes her go and what she has loved about playing for and representing McAlester High School.
VYPE: Stevie, what does playing basketball and sports mean to you?
Stinchcomb: Sports make up 90 percent of my life, they mean a lot to me mostly because it’s all I’ve ever done, and sports have helped me out throughout life so much. Whether it’s teaching me life lessons, learning more about who I am as a person or even just meeting new people.
VYPE: Do you remember when you first got involved in sports?
Stinchcomb: I started playing sports at a really young age and it was something that I really wanted to do because my parents would take me to basketball games, and I remember wanting to be one of those girls out on the court someday. I wouldn’t even know who they were I just knew that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to be like them.
VYPE: What sports do you play at McAlester?
Stinchcomb: I play basketball and softball and I am a point guard in basketball, and I can play any position in softball besides pitcher.
VYPE: What is it like for you to balance athletics with everyday life?
Stinchcomb: I try and make sure I have a pretty equal balance with life and school. Because school is stressful especially in times like now with all the virtual, so I really try to make sure that I balance it out. So, if I get super overwhelmed with school, I will try and go do something after practice to take my mind off of it.
VYPE: How do you stay motivated when times get tough?
Stinchcomb: I just tell myself that whatever I’m going through isn’t as bad as I think it is and it’s always going to get better. There is always someone out there who has it worse than me.
VYPE: What’s it like knowing there is a little girl in the crowd, just like you, looking up to you, wanting to be you one day?
Stinchcomb: It means a lot to me knowing that I’m at that level now where people look up to me because there was a time when I was that little girl looking up to big time players and it just blows my mind that that’s me now and I have that big time role now.
VYPE: Are you originally from McAlester?
Stinchcomb: I grew up going to Frink Chambers. It’s a kindergarten through eighth grade school and it was the best experience I could’ve had growing up. I met some of the best people at that school. Then I graduated from Frink and had to make a very hard decision on which high school I wanted to go to. I had multiple options but at the time it felt right in my heart to go to Crowder. Mostly because it was small like Frink, and I didn’t think I would really like how big McAlester was. We had a great basketball season at crowder. We were Pitt 8 Conference Champs, and I was named MVP as a freshman which was a great memory. After that school year I needed more academic opportunity than Crowder had to offer me, so I decided to transfer to McAlester. That was probably the best decision I could’ve ever made. I’ve been attending McAlester since my sophomore year, and I’ve loved every second of it. I’ve met so many new friends, taken classes in school that I didn’t even know were classes, and have had some great basketball seasons.
VYPE: What does Stevie enjoy doing in her free time?
Stinchcomb: In my free time I just like to stay home and have some downtime to myself with my dog MJ. If I’m not doing that, I’m more than likely with my friends traveling to a Chick-fil-A or Starbucks.
VYPE: What do you want to major in at Emporia State University?
Stinchcomb: I want to major in business and marketing.
VYPE: What’s your favorite part of playing basketball?
Stinchcomb: Basketball is an outlet for me as a person. My favorite part about it is being around my teammates. We are all so close and we can be ourselves around each other. This is a season that’s different from them all. It feels like I have another family. That is probably my favorite thing about the sport. Being around people who enjoy the same thing you do.
VYPE: Who inspires Stevie?
Stinchcomb: I look up to my parents the most. They have both been through so much as individuals and still find a way to succeed in life and act like nothing bothers them. That’s how I strive to be in life.
VYPE: Favorite sports memory?
Stinchcomb: There are way too many memories for me to just pick one but most of them come from team bonding with my team. Whether that’s staying in a hotel for a tournament or just staying after practice with some of my teammates just to hang out and shoot around. We laugh all the time and there is never a dull moment.
