Athlete of the Week: Kylie Wells

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KJCT) - On Tuesday night, Fruita Monument girls basketball clinched their sixth league title in seven years. The Wildcats take a top 10 ranking into the postseason, and now they’re Southwestern League champions. Fruita’s undisputed leader, point guard Kylie Wells, is our Athlete of the Week.

Wells scored a game-high 16 points to clinch the league title over Grand Junction Central. She’s the Wildcats best player on defense, but Wells can also take over the offense in big games, as we saw Tuesday night.

After the win, head coach Michael Wells told us what makes Kylie such a special player. He says her determination on defense sets a great example for younger players on the team. He also says Kylie is very coachable, which is a must — considering she’s the coach’s daughter.

“People think coach’s kids have all these advantages,” Wells explained. “There’s some definite perks, but it’s so hard to coach your kid. She just makes it easy cause she plays so hard on both ends, and she just fights and leads our team.”

“It’s definitely different having your dad as a coach, but I wouldn’t change it for the world,” Kylie says. “I love having him as my coach, and he pushes me to be my best.”

Coach Wells is clearly bringing out the best in Kylie, since basketball isn’t even her first sport. In November, she committed to play soccer at CMU. Kylie will stay home on the Western Slope next year, but for now, Michael Wells and Kylie Wells are ready to lead Fruita Monument hoops to a state championship.

“She’s the captain of our defense, and she just seems to be everywhere,” Coach Wells said. “It just encourages and leads the other girls to do that too. So we’re fortunate to have her and hopefully we can finish up the season on a good note.”

The Wildcats finish their regular season Friday night against Grand Junction, looking for win number 20.

Copyright 2021 KJCT. All rights reserved.