LEGENDARY: Bristow's legacy cemented with state championship at Holliday
State champion? Check.
MVP of the state championship game? Check.
TABC Class 3A Player of the Year? Most likely.
Red River 22 MVP? Check. For the second time.
District MVP? Nah.
Jalynn Bristow’s resume for her senior season at Holliday is impressive, but there’s an obvious check mark missing from this list.
Despite how the coaches voted, and with all due respect to the young lady who received the MVP honor, there is no doubt about who was the best player in District 7-3A this season.
There was also no doubt who the best player was on the floor every time Bristow stepped onto it. That includes during two epic performances at the Class 3A state tournament, leading the Lady Eagle program to its first championship.
There has been no doubt who the best player in the Wichita Falls area has been the last two seasons. And that sentence would read “last four seasons” if it wasn’t for the presence of Nocona star Averee Kleinhans in Bristow’s freshman and sophomore years.
And while Kleinhans was Red River 22 MVP those two seasons, there was a strong argument for Bristow to win the award.
In her first varsity basketball game, Bristow posted a double-double for the Rider Lady Raiders. She led them to back-to-back regional tournaments as a freshman and sophomore, rewriting the program’s record book in her three seasons as a Lady Raider.
That program will end with Bristow’s name etched all over it.
Her transfer from Rider to Holliday for her senior season was met with contention, and it’s the only reasonable theory to explain why she wasn’t voted district MVP.
But find me the coach who will state they wouldn’t have accepted her into their program, and I’ll call him or her a liar.
All of that said, being the Offensive Player of the Year rather than MVP of a district Holliday dominated is truthfully a footnote for a phenomenal high school career that could evolve into a sensational college career.
Bristow is one of the greatest high school girls basketball players to ever come out of the Wichita Falls area. And this is a notable list that includes Windthorst’s Heather Schreiber and Tatum Veitenheimer, Bowie’s Rene Hanebutt, Electra’s KennI Patton, Rider’s Taliyah and Mercedes Brooks, and Nocona’s Averee Kleinhans.
For most, Schreiber is the standard bearer given her success at the University of Texas and being drafted into the WNBA. Hanebutt is in the conversation as a Texas Tech Hall of Famer.
Of those listed, only Hanebutt led a team to a state title. Schreiber and the Trojanettes played in the 2001 state championship game.
Veitenheimer is the area’s all-time leading scorer with 3,311 points while at Windthorst. Kleinhans (3,204) is second, and Hanebutt (3,186) third.
Bristow slots in behind Hanebutt as the fourth player from the area to eclipse the 3,000-point mark. She finished her career with 3,015 points, reaching this prolific milestone during the state championship game Saturday. Bristow also finished with 1,642 career rebounds.
A few years ago, KFDX’s Tobin McDuff spearheaded the idea of a Texoma Sports Hall of Fame. Hanebutt and Schreiber were inducted last year. I feel confident stating Bristow will one day share in that honor.
This area has been blessed with great girls basketball players, and Bristow ranks among the best.
There isn’t a group of voters capable of taking that away from her.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Jalynn Bristow's legacy not tainted by lack of district MVP award
