Since VYPE last looked in on Tahlequah senior Kori Rainwater a year ago, things have really moved fast for the talented Tiger post player. “Maybe the biggest thing has been the development of her 3-point shot over the past year,” said Tiger head coach David Qualls.

Even Kori wasn’t big on her long-range ability when we spoke last year.

“it used to be that when I would shoot a 3, people would close their eyes and say ‘oh no’.” But since then, she has improved that shot so much that now teams have to respect that ability according to Qualls.

“She’s always been a physical player inside with her rebounding and short-range ability (she averaged 14.8 points and 10.7 rebounds per game last year). She set the school single game rebounding record last year and will probably set the career rebounding record this year. But now that she’s shown she can hit from beyond the arc, she’ll be a handful for opponents.” 

So how did she become a much better long-range shooter? “It was just a lot of practice. I did more 3-point shooting on my AAU team this past year and I actually hit nine 3s in a summer league game,” said Kori. “I knew that I would have to play a big role for the team this year and expand my game and not just be strictly an inside player like I have been.”

Last year the Tigers weren’t given much of a chance of success but made it to the state tournament. So this year Kori along with fellow seniors Jadyn Buttery and Madi Matthews hope to continue to prove the critics wrong. But Kori has already set her sights on a longer-term goal, having committed to play for the Air Force Academy next year.

“I was really happy when they started recruiting me because I’ve always had a desire to maybe go into the miliary since my dad, who is my role model, was in the Army. It was still a hard decision because I had 18 offers to consider but it really came down to what I wanted in my life after school.”