Sutton's game comes full circle at Van Buren

Officially, Van Buren senior Taylar Sutton is a post player. Her job is pretty simple, actually. Rebound, screen for teammate Jamilyn Kinney, and occasionally make a few baskets. "My job's to just play around the basket," she said. Unofficially, Sutton is much more. Van Buren coach Chris Bryant knows there's more to gobbling up rebounds or hitting an occasional layup. Taylar Sutton can shoot the ball from beyond the arc, too. Her game has come full circle since her seventh-grade year at Butterfield Junior High. Sutton and the Lady Pointers (5-3) face McDonald County on Wednesday at the Neosho Tournament. "Honestly, I was pretty bad - I don't even remember (seventh grade)," Sutton said. "I didn't really start playing until the sixth grade because I moved around a lot." By the time her family settled in Van Buren, the tall girl in the ponytail laced up her sneakers and took to the basketball court. Van Buren assistant coach Vestal Carter saw something promising in Sutton, too. "When I was going to all the schools, visiting with them and looking at them (players), I looked out there and saw that she was tall," remembers Carter. "The first time I saw her shoot, it was from the knee. "I went out there and showed her how to do it, and she started doing a lot better." "Coach Carter has pushed me since the ninth grade," Sutton said. "He's always been there for me. He would try to push me all the time." Sutton isn't going to fill up the score book. Not every time out. But she's capable. "A lot of times we put in her on ball screens," Bryant said. "Jamilyn will draw two defenders, and that will free her up to shoot the three. From 15 to 17 feet she's deadly, and out on the arc her game is getting better, and that's what she'll need to do at the next level." The next level? Yep, college basketball beckons for Sutton, a Northeastern State University signee last month. As soon as Sutton topped six feet, college recruiters began taking an interest. "Evidently that's the magic number," Bryant said. "She went from being on nobody's radar to getting her foot in the door. Then, when they can see that she can shoot the basketball and handle the basketball, she showed them she's a really a really versatile player."

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Van Buren High School Athletics

SUTTON'S GAME COMES FULL CIRCLE AT VAN BUREN

KEVIN TAYLOR

Times Record | 12/27/2016

PHOTO CREDIT: Van Buren High School Athletics