KC’s Sportswoman of Year for 2020, a Wichita South grad, went out a winner with Roos
So many moments to remember and relish from the Kansas City Roos’ 2019-20 women’s basketball season, but two stand out to Ericka Mattingly.
The December encounter with Missouri, when Mattingly scored 14 of her 18 points in the third quarter in helping the Roos to one highest-profile triumphs in program history is high on the list.
So is the March home game against Utah Valley, when Mattingly came up with a big assist and run-out bucket in the closing moments of the game that clinched the WAC title, the first conference championship for the Roos in their Division I basketball history.
“It was a tremendous feeling to help turn this program around,” Mattingtly said.
The honors have piled up for the senior from Wichita, whose averages paint a portrait of her versatility: 15.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.5 steals. Mattingly became the first woman from UMKC to be named conference player of the year.
On Friday, she’ll receive the Spire Sportswoman of the Year Award from the Kansas City Sports Commission.
The awards ceremony has usually taken place in a banquet setting but this year will be presented as a one-hour television program Friday at 7 p.m. on Channel 41 in KC, and repeated Saturday at 1 p.m. on Channel 41 and at 7 p.m. on Kansas City’s Channel 38.
For Mattingly, the honors are the culmination of a hoop career that endured a few bumps after a glorious high school run in which she was a three-year starter and four-time state champion at Wichita South High.
After originally committing to Wichita State, Mattingly shifted gears and started her college career at Texas-Arlington. She was a starter as a freshman but later decided that she wanted to be closer to home.
An NCAA rule allowed Texas-Arlington to rule out Wichita State as a transfer destination, reducing Mattingly’s options. She chose to attend Butler County Community College for one season.
That year, Jacie Hoyt became KC’s head coach after serving three seasons as a Kansas State assistant. Hoyt had known about Mattingly — Hoyt’s mother, Shelly, had coached Mattingly in a summer all-star game — and saw her as a foundational player for the Roos’ program.
“That was our selling point,” Hoyt said. “She could go to a bigger school but maybe not have the same impact that she could have here. We told her if she came here, she could be a part of history.”
Mattingly signed on, selecting the Roos over Nebraska, and KC posted winning overall records in each of her seasons there. The last time the Roos produced back-to-back winning seasons was 1992 and 1993. This year’s team finished 21-10 for a .677 winning percentage, the best in school’s Division I history.
Sadly, the Roos had no opportunity to pursue the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance. The team got to Las Vegas, site of the WAC Tournament, only to see the college basketball season shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
So the team held a get-together with staff and the players’ parents. The players donned their jerseys for a final time, watched season highlights and talked about a memorable season that included a net-cutting ceremony.
Not many other teams got to share such a moment, and although postseason basketball was lost, an appreciation for an outstanding year — and individual efforts like Mattingly’s — wasn’t. She will be remembered among the best in UMKC history.
“She was a total-package player with a strong competitive nature,” Hoyt said. “She had the kind of season and career we envisioned for her.”
Kansas City Sports Awards winners
Sportswoman of the year: KC Roos guard Ericka Mattingtly
Sportsman of the year: Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu
Coach of the year: Chiefs head coach Andy Reid
Executive of the year: Chiefs general manager Brett Veach
Community champion award: Chiefs Kingdom Champions Parade and community-event support