Months before the start of the basketball season, Seymour High School’s Makenna Fee was, at a minimum, working triple overtime.
While she has almost always had the God-given height of a basketball player, Fee has always had to work to improve herself on the hardwood.
Going into her senior season, she knew in order to reach her goals, she would have to work harder than anyone else.
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This past summer, Fee would wake up, go to weights, strength and agility training, attend basketball practices and then go to Anytime Fitness for an extra workout almost every day. Oh, and volleyball practices were mixed in there, too.
All of that work paid off for Fee, who quickly made it apparent she was going to again be a force in the Hoosier Hills Conference.
The 6-foot senior averaged just under 12 points and eight rebounds per game while also dishing out three assists per contest this past winter.
She averaged more than a block and steal per game and shot 48 percent from 2-point range and 38 percent from beyond the arc. At the charity stripe, Fee made 69 percent of her attempts.
While the accolades are still rolling in, her overall play has earned her All-HHC, Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Large School All-State honorable mention and Hoosier Basketball Magazine Top 60 Senior honors.
For all of her efforts and accomplishments this past season, The Tribune has named Fee the 2018-19 Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
While she first got started by playing at home with her family and friends, Fee began playing organized basketball in third grade.
“The year before I hit third grade, they took basketball out of the elementary schools, so my mom (Tonya) started a basketball camp,” Fee said. “That was my first official time playing. I started out at Cortland, playing club from third to fifth grade.
“In middle school, I kind of did a lot of everything. I was a post player since I was the tallest, but since it was middle school, I had to help bring the ball up the court. I think playing with my sister (Mikayla) helped a lot. She was a lot bigger and stronger than me. I had to learn how to stay out on the perimeter if I didn’t want to get beat up playing inside. I did whatever the team really needed.”
Owls varsity coach Jason Longmeier said he knew Fee would be a special player back when she was in middle school.
“I think the thing we saw right away with Makenna was God-given size and a skill set that kids her size generally don’t have,” he said. “We knew that she was going to present people a lot of problems from an early age.”
In the first practice of her freshman year, Fee was thrown into the varsity mix. She saw a few varsity games that year while also playing junior varsity.
Fee said she appreciates how the coaches at SHS believed in her since the first day.
“They are always pushing me and trying to get me to give 110 percent, even in the little drills,” Fee said. “They constantly remind me what I am to the team. For the younger girls, I want to be a role model. Even my freshman year, Longmeier would help me. First day, he threw me in with the varsity. He helped me and supported me through all of that.”
Fee started for the Owls in her final three seasons and collected an armful of accolades along the way. Among those awards, she was named All-HHC her sophomore year before garnering All-HHC and IBCA All-State honorable mention status her junior season.
She finished with 822 career points at SHS.
“I think I started developing my game a lot more in my junior and senior seasons, especially with my confidence,” Fee said. “My freshman year, I was not very confident. Even on the JV level, I was kind of in my own head. I think sophomore year was a big step for me starting varsity from barely seeing the court. This year, I think I stepped up when my team needed me.”
Once her senior season rolled around, she knew other teams were going to key in on her right away.
“Right out of the gate, our first game, I was face-guarded and barely touched the ball,” Fee said. “I knew it was going to be a little bit of a frustrating season because of that, but I was prepared for it. Longmeier was telling me it would happen. It didn’t phase me a lot because I knew it was going to happen. It was kind of cool to know they know I’m kind of good. It was another challenge to overcome.”
After a slow start to the season, Fee and the Owls started settling in and finding better ways to utilize their star forward.
“I thought she got better as we went along,” Longmeier said. “I thought early on, she did struggle a little bit along with the rest of our team. We wanted to get better at getting her the ball in places where she could score. We’ve run into that when we’ve had stud seniors. Defenses really focused on her.
“I think as the year went on, she figured out how important it was for her to rebound and create easy things for herself. We moved her all around through the course of the year. We had her on the perimeter, in the post. We put her basically wherever we thought she could get the best looks. I think she adjusted well, and as the season went on, she really played well.”
Fee said she felt she was at her best in the two games against New Albany this season. In the first contest, she hit a buzzer-beater to give the Owls the win.
She had 22 points in the second meeting against New Albany, 21 versus Scottsburg and 20 against Madison. Fee finished in double-figure scoring in 15 of 23 games and had seven games with at least 10 rebounds. She had a season-high eight assists against Columbus East and had five blocks against Madison.
Fee had 19 games where she recorded a steal and 15 games with at least one block.
She credited her senior teammates, Ashton Chase and Megan Ritz, and her family for her success in her senior season.
Fee said her family has always been a huge support over the years.
“I get my work ethic from my parents and older sister. They have been huge role models for me,” she said. “My mom especially. She is always going, going, going and trying to make everything better. Same with my dad and sister. I have been very blessed to have them as role models and leaders in my life.”
When she’s not on the floor, Fee also tries to give back to the program.
“The youth programs were always big for me in volleyball and basketball. I think I really stepped up the past two years helping out with those,” Fee said. “The fifth-grade group we have, I go to a bunch of their practices and camps. I think that’s the most important part of leadership — helping the youth to develop.
“They’re going to be the ones helping the program grow. I really tried to have an impact on their lives and tried to show them how important basketball was to me and how much it can help them in life.”
Fee now turns her attention to playing college basketball at University of Illinois-Springfield.
Longmeier said the NCAA Division II program is getting a good student-athlete.
“You don’t accidentally get your school paid for, and I think that says a lot about the player that she is,” he said. “She was willing to put in that extra time and knew where her weaknesses were. She wanted to get stronger and knew that the game was going to be more physical on her this year than it ever had been because she was going to be a focal point.”
While she will miss playing basketball for SHS, Fee said she leaves with a lot of good memories.
“You get so much out of basketball without actually learning how to play basketball,” she said. “I learned so much about myself this season and how much I need to work on and improve for next season. I think (Seymour) has prepared me so much for the new journeys I have ahead of me.”
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- Joining Makenna Fee on the 2018-19 All-Jackson County Girls Basketball Team:
Ashton Chase, Seymour, Senior
Key stats/honors: 12.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 43% 2-point, 37% 3-point, 77% FT, All-HHC honorable mention, IBCA Large School All-State honorable mention.
Grace Meyer, Seymour, Sophomore
Key stats/honors: 11.4 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 53% 2-point, 37% 3-point, 77% FT, All-HHC honorable mention.
Sydney Jaynes, Trinity Lutheran, Sophomore
Key stats/honors: 14.2 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 3.2 APG, 3.9 BPG, 1.6 SPG, 47% 2-point, 27% 3-point, 58% FT, IBCA Small School All-State First Team All-Toby Yoho Tournament team, led team in scoring/assists/blocks/steals.
Savannah Harweger, Trinity Lutheran, Senior
Key stats/honors: 13.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.1 SPG, 48% 2-point, 23% 3-point, 50% FT.
Piper Hensley, Crothersville, Senior
Key stats/honors: 14.6 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.0 APG, 1.5 SPG, 29% 2-point, 36% 3-point, 78% FT, No. 4 in all-time CHS scoring (1,120), school records for 3s in a game (9), single season (75), career (240), FT in a single game (16-for-16), All-SAC, HBCA All-District 4.
Maddie Riley, Crothersville, Senior
Key stats/honors: 10.1 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 4.0 APG, 2.1 SPG, 40% 2-point, 24% 3-point, 63% FT, All-SAC, second all-time in assists at CHS (272).
Katherine Benter, Brownstown Central, Sophomore
Key stats/honors: 11.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.68 APG, 1.6 SPG, 45% 2-point, 33% 3-point, 75% FT, All-MSC.
Ashley Schorer, Brownstown Central , Junior
Key stats/honors: 11.5 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 2.08 APG, 1.28 SPG, 51% 2-point, 36% 3-point, 68% FT, All-Toby Yoho Tournament team, All MSC.
Halle Hehman, Brownstown Central, junior
Key stats/honors: 10.2 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.68 APG, 1.52 APG, 47% 2-point, 29% 3-point, 68% FT.
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Kailen Flynn, Medora, Senior
Payton Farmer, Brownstown Central, Senior
Tayler Garland, Brownstown Central, Senior
Hannah Sabotin, Trinity Lutheran, Junior
Makinzee Isley, Crothersville, Junior
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2018-19 Jackson County Girls Basketball Player of the Year
Makenna Fee, Seymour High School, Senior
Key stats: 11.7 points per game, 7.7 rebounds per game, 3.0 assists per game, 48% 2-point, 38% 3-point, 69% FT, 1.3 SPG, 1.13 BPG, 822 career points.
Other honors: Hoosier Basketball Magazine Top 60 Senior, All-HHC, IBCA Large School All-State Honorable Mention.
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