WBB: Reynolds family grateful for opportunity to reunite as Lady Mavs
The WAC's history of bringing families together continues for this last ride in 2025-2026 with a trio of sister duos...
Over the course of recent WAC women’s basketball history there has been a history of families playing and coaching together.
From the Warren’s and Deaver’s at Utah Tech, to Ally Criddle (Blackham) and Cambrie Blackham at Utah Valley along with Laura and Sydney Erikstrup at GCU the WAC has provided opportunities to reunite and spend their careers together.
Let’s not forget that Southern Utah grad Sam Johnston also spent five years playing for her mother, head coach Tracy Mason, in Cedar City.
That theme continues in 2025-2026 with the Reynolds family at UT Arlington along with Abilene Christian’s Molly and Emma Daugherty joining Utah Tech’s Maddie and Macie Warren.
Steven, after an 11 year stint as a high school head coach where he won a 2022 Indiana State title along with three regionals and five sectional championships, made the jump to Division I assistant on head coach Shereka Wright’s staff. The Lady Mavs also added his three daughters Amiyah, Mila, and Kira to their roster.
He also coached all three of the girls in high school at South Bend Washington (Indiana) before making the jump to college basketball with his wife Marcy serving as his assistant.
“I had heard the horror stories that come with coaching your own kids from everybody else but my biggest thing with them was and still is to be themselves because that’s who I was going to be,” Steven said. “We made the program part of what we did and had a lot of success there, not only with our kids but getting others opportunities at the next level. But they were really wonderful to coach.”
When Mila and Amiyah entered the portal it wasn’t necessarily with the opportunity to play with younger sister Kira, an incoming freshman in mind, but when you talk to the sisters they are so grateful to Wright for giving them the opportunity.
Mila and Amiyah never got to play in high school due to overlapping injuries despite being a year apart.
“It was always in the back of my mind that I wanted to play with my sisters,” Mila said. “But we were well aware that it wasn’t a package deal and that everyone had their own needs and wants in a program. Now that we’re together again we’re grateful for the opportunity and ready to work.”
Every student-athlete’s journey in the portal is different and in talking with Steven you could see a dad beaming with pride in how his daughters have navigated this still relatively unknown process in collegiate athletics.
When asked to offer advice Amiyah shared this for student-athletes embarking on their journey…
“Stick to your values and ignore a lot of the stuff they may try and sell you on. What impressed me about UT Arlington was how open and honest coach Wright is and continues to be with us.”
Kira, an incoming freshman ranked 91st by ESPN HoopGurlz and fourth in Indiana according to 24/7 Sports, is just beginning her collegiate journey after a decorated HS career that included finishing as Indiana’s top shot blocker, regardless of gender.
As a senior last year in high school she recorded Indiana’s first quintuple-double during a January 4 game against New Prairie with 14 points, 18 rebounds, 12 assists, 11 steals and 10 blocks.
“In the moment I felt like I was coming up with more steals than usual that night but other than that it was another post-Christmas Break game,” Kira remembered. “It wasn’t necessarily an out of body type experience but certainly is something I’ll never forget.”
“It wasn’t uncommon for her to come up with double-digit blocks a game in high school,” Steven added. “And in a blowout we’d ordinarily have gotten her out after three quarters but we were playing with a short bench that night and she got three or four steals right away, playing the top of a 1-3-1 zone. She had a number of triple-doubles already and was close to quadruple-doubles a few times but getting those steals early is what made it happen for her.”
Part of transferring is the ability to assimilate to a new town, a new program and a new way of doing things.
“That first week I was here I just couldn’t get used to the heat,” Mila remembered. “But a lot of the assimilation process is about getting used to different coaching styles and it was no different here. Once you get through that process though, basketball is still basketball.”
Sports also have the ability to provide travel experiences that student-athletes wouldn’t otherwise have.
The WAC covers three time zones and three states in 2025-2026.
“We had our own charter at Purdue and most of the Big Ten was within reasonable flying distance except for the California swing,” Amiyah said. “I’m really excited to see what WAC travel is like vs. the Big Ten. I believe, at first glance, it’ll be about the same difficulty wise.”
Family is everything across the WAC as teams prepare for this final season that will tip off in just under 50 days.
