‘In my blood’: Kip Pulliam back to lead Wichita Heights girls basketball title chase
After a seven-year absence from the sidelines, coach Kip Pulliam has returned to the Wichita Heights girls basketball team and brought his trademark pressure defense.
The Falcons haven’t won a game at the state tournament since 2013 when Pulliam had the program at its peak, a drought that seems poised to end this season with Heights currently undefeated atop the City League standings and ranked No. 7 in Class 6A.
Once again loaded with talent, Heights is still in the process of meeting Pulliam’s high expectations when it comes to the defensive end. But the coach can’t help but be reminded of the potential of his state-championship squads from 2006, 2007, 2011 and 2012 when he talks about this team.
“I truly believe by the end of the year, we’re going to be able to make a run in postseason and possibly a state championship,” Pulliam said earlier this season. “Coaching-wise and talent-wise, it feels like it did before. It’s just going to take us some time where we get to know each other on the court and with me as the coach. As soon as that happens, this team is going to be pretty good.”
From 2005-16, Pulliam led Heights to an 84% winning percentage (243-46 record) and six appearances in the Class 6A state-championship game in an eight-year span.
But when his son, Gunner, began middle school, Kip Pulliam made the family-first decision to step down from his position in order to watch his son play sports for Valley Center. He found his basketball fix during the summers by helping train former Heights star Perry Ellis in between his seasons playing professionally.
After his son graduated high school in 2022, Pulliam was prepared to return to the coaching ranks.
“I knew I always wanted to get back into coaching,” Pulliam said. “Basketball is in my blood. I’ve been doing it for a long time. My dad was my coach and he always made me want to be a coach. I just love developing kids and coaching kids. It’s my drive and what’s inside of me, so I’m glad to be back.”
What has made the transition back to Heights special for Pulliam is the presence of Ken Palmer, his longtime assistant who took over for him as head coach in 2016 and guided the Falcons to three straight state appearances from 2019-21. With Pulliam back in the mix, Palmer has slid one seat over to re-assume his role as top lieutenant — a pairing that produced plenty of gold in its last run.
“I learned a lot under Kip and I won a lot of championships coaching under him, so it feels good to have him back,” Palmer said. “His leadership and just demeanor about the game is so special. He wants to win, win, win, win.”
And that’s exactly what the Falcons have done in Pulliam’s first season back, as they are currently 12-0 in City League play with a two-game lead in the loss column over Bishop Carroll, the No. 3-ranked team in Class 5A slated to play at Heights on Friday. Heights also currently holds the top record in the KSHSAA Class 6A West regional.
Like past Pulliam teams, Heights is stacked with talent.
Junior guard Kennadi Jackson is already attracting Division I interest, while another junior guard, SaMiyah Ellis, has already cleared 1,000 career points and is averaging a team-high 18 points this season. The Falcons are stocked with all-league-caliber players like junior forward KaMyra Barber, senior wing Mya Mayberry, senior forward Jaliyah Manuel, junior forward Heaven Gilbert, junior forward Zari Walker, freshman guard Destiny Maze and sophomore guard Aniyah Harris.
Even though Pulliam has been gone for seven years, the players are fully aware of his past accomplishments by the championship banners hanging in the gym. That has earned Pulliam a total buy-in to his defensive philosophy.
“When we found out (Pulliam’s past championships), it made us want to repeat what he did before,” Jackson said. “We have the potential. We just have to bring good energy on defense and that’s going to carry us for the whole game.”
Pulliam’s preferred style of play, which is essentially to cause mayhem on the defensive end, requires a team to have discipline in its rotations and tenacity in the way it guards.
It’s a work in progress, evident by back-to-back losses in its midseason tournament, but Heights believes it has the firepower to bring home its first state championship in more than a decade.
“These kids are fully bought in that defense is going to win it for us,” Pulliam said. “All of the teams we’ve ever had, we could always get after you defensively and do things to get the other team to turn the ball over and speed you up. Once we get everything clicking, we’re going to be all right.”
This story was originally published February 13, 2024 at 6:02 AM.
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