Canyon grad Kenadee Winfrey helping UNLV thrive entering NCAA Tournament
How does the song go, "All I do is win?"
Well, historically, that hasn't always been the case for the UNLV women's basketball team.
This year marks the 10th time the Lady Rebels have made the NCAA Tournament. The furthest the program has ever advanced is the Sweet 16 back in 1989 — otherwise UNLV has never advanced past the second round. The last time they did that was 1991.
Before last year, the Lady Rebels hadn't even made the tournament since 2002.
All I do is win has been a true statement for UNLV the past two years and it's been accurate for Kenadee Winfrey her whole career.
Winfrey, a graduate of Canyon High School, is in her sophomore year with the UNLV women's basketball team.
Since her arrival, the Lady Rebels have won back-to-back regular season Mountain West Conference titles for the first time ever, garnered back-to-back conference tournament championships for the first time since 1986 and have now made the NCAA tournament in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1991.
Throw in that Winfrey played at Canyon, and the song "All I do is win" really does seem to fit her.
After making the tournament and falling in the first round last year, however, Winfrey felt the Lady Rebels still weren't winning quite enough.
“We weren’t happy with last year’s result and how we finished that season," Winfrey said. "We knew what we wanted to do this season and we just went out and did it."
What UNLV wanted to do was go undefeated in conference. As Winfrey said, that's exactly what the Lady Rebels did.
UNLV went 31-2 overall and 18-0 in MWC play — which made the Lady Rebs one of just four teams in the nation that went undefeated in conference play this year along with Gardner-Webb (Big South), South Dakota State (Summit League) and South Carolina (SEC),
Winfrey has played a key part in the Lady Rebels' success this year, too. She's played in 31 games this year, starting six, while averaging 4.4 points and 3.3 rebounds while playing 17.1 minutes per contest. She's also provided the defense that the Canyon Lady Eagles have always been known for.
Of course, she also learned how to win in Canyon and she's brought that winning mindset to Las Vegas.
“It’s a winning tradition up in Canyon," she said. "To be able to grow up and go through the Canyon basketball program was amazing. That’s where you learn the basics and you take that with you on to the next level. Tate and Joe Lombard have had a big impact on my basketball career and me as a person. Being able to have them as coaches was awesome.”
The feeling is mutual on Tate's part. He was an assistant coach Winfrey's junior year and the head coach for her senior season. He praised her work ethic, basketball IQ and most of all, her dedication to greatness.
“She really loves the game," Tate Lombard said. "A lot of kids think they love it, they go to college and they realize they don’t love it. You can tell Kenadee really loves the game and loves the grind and her teammates. She’s made a positive influence on her college team the same way she did on her high school team.”
It's not just her former coach. The Canyon community has played a huge part in continuing to support Winfrey from afar.
“The Canyon community is just as amazing as anything else," she said. "They’re going to support you no matter how far you go or where you’re playing. I’ve had so many texts and phone calls and people reaching out saying congrats and telling me they’re still supporting me, even from 13 hours away. That’s an amazing feeling.”
Almost as amazing as her family support.
Kenadee's older sister Brylee and younger sisters Sydney and Abree are all standout athletes as well. Brylee played college basketball and Abree signed to run track at the University of Kansas. Sydney is in her sophomore year and is a standout on the basketball team as well. Their father, Todd, who always says the girls got their athletic talent from their mother is the head football coach at Canyon High School.
The Winfrey family makes it to as many games as possible with Kenadee's parents flying up just last week to watch her play in the MWC Tournament. The time and commitment they've invested has not been lost on her.
“It means the most that my parents can come out and support when they can," Kenadee said. "Me and my three sisters are always doing something. (My parents are) always following somebody, watching a game. The fact that they travel all around the world for my games is amazing to me. I love them for that and I’m so thankful for them.”
No. 11 seed UNLV will start its journey at 2 p.m. against sixth-seeded Michigan in Baton Rouge with the contest broadcast on ESPNU. The Wolverines went 22-9 on the season, including 11-7 in the Big Ten.
The task won't be easy and should the Lady Rebels win, they'll face the winner of LSU-Hawaii.
LSU is 28-2 with its only losses coming against South Carolina and Tennessee. The quest to keep meeting new milestones will require the Lady Rebels to keep on winning when historically they have had trouble doing that in March.
On the other hand, all Kenadee Winfrey does is win.
And lately, all UNLV has done is rack up victories. With Michigan finishing middle of the pack in the Big Ten and LSU coming off a disappointing conference tournament, who's to say the Mountain West champs can't keep winning?
Kenadee won't say that just yet, but it's what she's planning on.
“We like to take it day by day," she said. "We are going to prepare the same for (Michigan) like we have any other team this season. ... No one is ever satisfied just to go to the tournament. We’re not going just to play; we’re going to win. That’s the mentality this team has had all season.”
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Canyon grad Kenadee Winfrey helping UNLV thrive entering NCAA Tournament
