Germantown's KK Arnold named The Associated Press state player of the year after leading young team in a long playoff run

Mark Stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

March 26, 2022 at 1:36 AM·6 min read

Kamorea "KK" Arnold was named The Associated Press player of the year for the second straight season. The Germantown junior is a UConn recruit.

Imagine that it’s early in your freshman season and you look across the huddle and Kamorea “KK” Arnold, the top player in the state, is staring back at you.

“You can see they’re kind of star struck playing with her,” Germantown coach Matt Stuve said.

The challenge the Warhawks’ girls basketball team faced this season wasn’t simply replacing many of the veterans who helped the team win the Division 1 state title in 2021, it was doing so with a large influx of freshmen and sophomores.

Helping ease that transition was perhaps Arnold’s greatest accomplishment of the past season.

Not only did Germantown (23-5) overcome the loss of eight seniors from the year before, it won a share of its fourth straight Greater Metro Conference title and came within one victory from returning to the state tournament.

“I want to say how proud I am of our team,” said Arnold, a 5-foot-10 point guard. “We were really young. We had two freshmen, (three) sophomores. Emilie (Wizner) and Gretchen (McNeal) and all of the seniors, we had a big role to bring them up. They had to mature really fast.”

Germantown’s success along with another sterling season individually made Arnold the unanimous choice for player of the year on The Associated Press all-state girls basketball team. This marks the second straight season Arnold won the honor unanimously.

More: Germantown's Kamorea 'KK' Arnold, Kettle Moraine's Grace Grocholski repeat as first-team picks on coaches girls basketball all-state team

More: Germantown's KK Arnold joins elite company by winning second Gatorade state player of the year award

The team includes players from all five divisions. One other area player, Kettle Moraine junior forward Grace Grocholski, was named to the first team.

Green Bay Notre Dame coach Sara Rohde, who led her team to its second straight Division 2 championship, was named the coach of the year. Six other coaches, including Kettle Moraine’s Todd Hansen and Brookfield East’s Tyler Saxton, were considered.

While Arnold’s leadership was crucial, she also enjoyed her best season statistically in a number of categories.

She finished with career highs in scoring (24.8 ppg), rebounds (7.8 rpg), assists (7.2 apg), steals (4.4 spg) and assists-to-turnover ratio (2.68-to-1).

She also shot 33.1% from three-point range, her best season beyond the arc. That continued improvement from three-point range is what should worry opponents. She shot about 30% from three-point range in 2020-21.

The book on Arnold has been to let her shoot from the outside rather than risk her driving the paint and breaking down the defense there.

“Definitely my junior year my shooting was better,” she said. “(Defenses are) coming out and respecting my jump shot.”

“I come out with the same approach every year,” she added later. “I try to improve on areas I need to improve on.”

Arnold finished with three triple-doubles and 11 other double-doubles.

One of those performances came in the sectional semifinal, when the Warhawks rallied from an 11-point deficit in the second half to win, 90-87, over Kaukauna. Arnold finished the night with a season-high 39 points with 10 assists, seven rebounds and seven steals.

It was a game that finished in typical KK fashion.

“We were down one and the last two shots were her passing to a sophomore and freshman for shots,” Stuve said. “I think that speaks to who she is. She had scored 39 points. We were down by one in the final minute of a sectional semifinal game and she understands the right play was to get those kids the ball. That is what KK does. She is so good at identifying the right basketball play and making it.”

Germantown bowed out of the tournament in the next game, but with Arnold and five of the team’s top seven scorers set to return next season, the Warhawks will once again have the potential to reach the state tournament.

Between then and now Arnold will play travel ball this spring and summer with the Iowa Attack of the Nike EYBL and perhaps get a run with USA Basketball for the second straight year.

“She continues to get this big-time awards, but when I met with her at the end of the season, she just reinforced that she wants to be pushed to get better," Stuve said. "When I asked what she wanted of me next year, she said just get after me and keep pushing me to be better.”

AP ALL-STATE TEAM

Player of the year: *Kamorea “KK” Arnold, 5-10, jr., Germantown

Coach of the year: Sara Rohde, Green Bay Notre Dame

First team

Abbie Aalsma, 5-9, sr., Waupun

*Kamorea “KK” Arnold, 5-10, jr., Germantown

Grace Grocholski, 5-10, jr., Kettle Moraine

Emily La Chapell, 5-11, sr., Appleton East

Kamy Peppler, 5-6, sr., Hortonville

* unanimous

Second team

Macy Donarski, 5-8, jr., La Crosse Aquinas

Lily Krahn, 5-10, sr., Prairie du Chien

Jordan Meulemans, 6-0, sr., De Pere

Mahra Wieman, 5-10, sr., Reedsburg

Allie Ziebell, 5-11, soph., Neenah

Third team

Jasonya “J.J.” Barnes, 5-8, fr., The Prairie School

Alaina Harper, 6-3, sr., Arrowhead

Nakiyah Hurst, 6-0, sr., Milwaukee Academy of Science

Teagan Mallegni, 6-0, soph., McFarland

Jacy Weisbrod, 6-0, sr., jr., La Crosse Aquinas

Fourth team

Jorey Buwalda, 5-8, jr., Randolph

Jada Eggebrecht, 5-9, sr., Phillips

Gracie Grzesk, 5-11, soph., Green Bay Notre Dame

McKenna Johnson, 5-8, soph., Wilmot

Mallory Lindsey, 5-4, sr., Mineral Point

High honorable mention

(received at least two votes)

Sydney Cherney, soph., Reedsburg.

Ja’cia Cunningham, sr., Milwaukee Languages

Lyric Johnson, sr., Hortonville

Mya Moore, sr., Pius XI

Sarah Newcomer, sr., Pewaukee

Demetria Prewitt, sr., Madison La Follette

Sophia Rampulla, jr., Union Grove

Reese Rogowski, jr., Wittenberg-Birnamwood

Meghan Schultz, jr., New Berlin West

Lindsey Schadewalt, soph., New Glarus

Amy Terrian, fr., Pewaukee

Nevaeh Thomas, jr., Kenosha Bradford

Braelyn Torres, jr., Kettle Moraine

Gabby Wilke, soph., Beaver Dam

Honorable mention

(Geographically represented list that draw from each region)

Avree Antony, jr., Sun Prairie; Caitlin Behling, sr., South Milwaukee; Nevaiah Bell-Tenner, sr., Racine Lutheran; Bridee Burks, sr., Lancaster; Trenna Cherney, sr., Reedsburg; Brianna Dahl, sr., Albany; Jazzy Davis, jr., La Crosse Logan; Lauryn Deetz, sr., McDonell Central; Clare Diener, sr., Cedarburg; Trista Fayta, so., Notre Dame; MaKenzie Drout, jr., Kimberly; Madison Fitzgibbon, fr., Homestead; Lexi Freiboth, sr., Mosinee; Emme Golembiewski, sr., Northwood; Lily Hansford, sr., Appleton East; Olivia Hoerl, sr., Chilton; Kate Huml, sr., Janesville Craig; Sadie Jarmolowicz, jr., Freedom; Ayianna Johnson, jr., Jefferson; Leah Lemke, sr., Wrightstown; Julie Lokker, jr., Martin Luther; Lindsey Lettner, sr., Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau; Grace Lomen, sr., Catholic Memorial; Brooke McCune, sr., Osseo-Fairchild; Keona McGee, soph., Dominican; Emma Mommsen, sr., Menomonie; Emma Moseley, sr., Neillsville; Paris Opelt, so., Neillsville; Tieryn Plasch, jr., Northwestern; Avery Poole, sr., Monona Grove; Brittney Mislivecek, jr., La Crosse Central; Megan Murphy, jr., Verona; Kayl Petersen, soph., Waupun; Annika Pluemer, jr., Brookfield East; Lily Randgaard, sr., Kettle Moraine; Grace Schisel, jr., New Holstein; Grace Schmidt, sr., Luther Prep; Megan Schuman, jr., Brillion; Sidney Scruggs, sr., Milwaukee Riverside; Lindsay Steien, jr., Blair-Taylor; Nora Tucker, sr., Bangor; Addy Verhagen, fr., Sheboygan Lutheran; Blair Watters, sr., Mineral Point; Lexie White, jr., Wausau West; Allison Wokatsch, sr., Marathon.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: KK Arnold is Wisconsin AP girls basketball player of the year again

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