Versatile McKie gives Falcons a lift

by Eric Keppeler
Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, December 21, 2006

Niagara-Wheatfield junior Mia McKie was always one of the shortest students in her class. She was able to use her speed to great advantage in soccer, basketball and lacrosse – but after a serious growth spurt, she now finds that she’s had to make a few adjustments.

The speed remains – but she’s now better than 5-feet, 10-inches – which means she’s moved up from guard to forward for the 2006-07 Falcons basketball season. And she hasn’t looked out of place.

“It’s a learning process,” McKie said “As a child, I was always on the shorter side, but then I had a growth spurt. It’s different. There’s a lot to learn, but it’s helped me to understand the game better now that I’ve played both positions.”

McKie’s flexibility has given Falcons coach Diane Fegatilli plenty of options. McKie can create mismatches for other teams with her speed as a forward or with her size as a guard.

She’s one of the reasons the Falcons are off to a good start, winning four of their first five games this season.

“Mia’s done everything that I’ve asked her to do,” Fegatilli said. “She’s had solid games for us – she’s been playing very well. I brought her up last year as a sophomore, and she did a nice job as a guard. Now she’s grown a couple of inches, and she’s playing power forward. She’s going up against some big girls, and she’s holding her own.”

McKie says it makes no difference to her if she plays forward or guard. She likes both positions, and she wants to do whatever she can to help the team win.

“Depending on who Coach Feg puts in, sometimes I do have to play guard,” McKie said. “I can adjust to it pretty easily now. I don’t really like one more than the other. I like them both.”

McKie admits that she didn’t have much experience in rebounding before this year, but she’s learning the trade with the same vigor that makes her an honors student in the classroom.

Also, she jokes, she plays a little one-on-one with her dad in their driveway.

Her improvement at the position has also made Fegatilli comfortable with giving her important defensive assignments.

“We also ask her to guard some of the better players on the other teams, and she does that well, too,” Fegatilli said. “She gets some key rebounds, and when they double-team our guards, she can bring the ball up with confidence.”

McKie likes the challenge of going up against the other team’s top players. For now, she doesn’t score very much – the Falcons have plenty of that already – but her role is every bit as important to the team’s success.

She is hopeful that it can translate into a Niagara Frontier League crown by season’s end.

“I think we have a shot at the title, if we have the right people and the right mind set,” McKie said. “I’ve been playing with a lot of these girls for a couple of years and in a couple of different sports. If we pull together, we’ve got a good shot.”