If you ask around about Mayson Kimball, the word that seems to
always pop up is “coachable.”
From her championship-winning days as a member of the Merrimack Valley girls’ basketball team, to her senior year at Tilton School, all the way back to her younger years at the youth level, her reputation is that of a fierce competitor and a tough-nosed player, but more than anything, her ability to handle constructive criticism and improve is what always dominates the conversation.
When you grow up as a coach’s daughter, that quality starts at a young age.
“At times it’s hard to distinguish a relationship between a dad and a coach, but when you’re able to do that, it makes it a lot easier. When you have someone you love so much criticize you, you learn to be able to take it,” said Kimball of her father, Mark, who coached her throughout her childhood and up to the AAU level.
“I think I do that a lot with every coach I have now, like they’re pushing me, they’re helping me, and at times it may be tough, but it’s out of love and them wanting you to be the best you can be.”
That valuable lesson has led Kimball down a trail of success, and has the budding star on track to fulfill her dream of playing basketball in college. Her first steps on this path began long ago, but gained traction five years ago as a freshman at Merrimack Valley in Penacook.
Kimball still remembers every playoff game the Pride played during her 2013-14 sophomore season – the same year Merrimack Valley won its first Division II state title in school history.
“That was an unforgettable experience,” Kimball said. “I’ll never forget our playoff games. I remember we beat Lebanon in one of our games and we hadn’t beaten them in I think five years, so that was amazing. And then we went to the championship at Southern New Hampshire and it was just awesome.”
It was Kimball’s first full season starting on the varsity team under first-year head Coach David Huckins, and the sophomore sensation led the Pride to a 14-4 regular season before capping it all off with a state championship in a win over Coe-Brown.
“She was instrumental to it. No single person wins a state title of course, but she was definitely a key factor in it,” said Huckins, now in his fourth year with the Pride. “We had a very talented team that year, but of course she definitely was a key to it, that’s for sure.”
As a freshman, Kimball floated between the junior varsity and varsity teams just waiting to make her mark. Huckins was the JV coach at the time and was quick to make Kimball a major part of the team when they both made the move to varsity the following season.
“Her best thing that she’s good at is her tremendous work ethic to always get better,” Huckins said. “She didn’t treat basketball like a one-season sport. She treated it as a year-round sport and she worked non-stop.”
Kimball averaged 14.4 points per game during her sophomore campaign before taking center stage in the D-II tournament where she poured in 22.8 points per game – 91 total points in four playoff games. Alongside teammates Cassidy Huckins and Mary Mullen, Kimball and the Pride cruised past St. Thomas Aquinas, Lebanon and top-seeded Milford before downing the Bears in the finals, where Kimball scored 18 points with 13 rebounds.
“Coach Huckins was a great coach. It was his first year coaching us and I was a sophomore and still really young and shy on the court,” Kimball said. “He really built a lot of confidence in me because he gave me the opportunity to start on varsity and we just took off.”
For an encore, Kimball didn’t disappoint in her junior season.
The guard averaged 19 points per game in a 13-5 season for the Pride. Kimball again made the All-Tournament Team in the Christmas Tournament at NHTI and was named Division II’s Player of the Year before MV was sent packing by Portsmouth in overtime in the first round of the tournament.
With more eyes on her than ever from colleges across New England, Kimball made a change to better her chances at a scholarship, reclassifying as a junior and transferring to Tilton School.
From the spotlight to the bench, Kimball arrived on the campus of Tilton School surrounded by players with more advanced skill sets. It was 2015 – her first season with the Rams – and Kimball served as the sixth player off the pine on a team loaded with Division I talent.
“There were four seniors that started last year and one junior,” Tilton School girls’ basketball Coach Tara Brisson said. “The junior is committed to Providence and the four seniors were Dartmouth, Bryant, Bryant and Merrimack, so all scholarship-level players.”
Kimball added: “I grew a lot at MV and gained a lot of confidence. … Then I came to Tilton and played with players that were already committed to Division I, which was pretty cool for me because they would push me in practice and Coach Brisson pushed me a lot more.”
Kimball recalled a few practices during her first season where some of her teammates really opened her eyes to what it would take to play at the next level. Putting on a uniform at the college ranks was always a dream for Kimball, now there were people showing her the blueprint on how to reach it.
“I’ve always seen myself as a college player because I set high standards and I have a lot of goals … that’s always my mindset,” Kimball said. “Sometimes they would kick my butt in practice but I would be like, ‘I really need to get better because if I want to play (in college), I have to get to their level.’ So it really helped me and put in perspective how much work you have to put in and how much more time you have to put in and I saw that through them.”
Kimball did get better. A lot better. As she adjusted to the talent and speed of the game at the prep level, becoming more and more comfortable with her new surroundings, she quickly became a focal point for the Rams.
Tilton is 18-4 this year and chasing its eighth straight Lakes Region championship under Brisson. Kimball has blossomed into one of the team’s strongest all-around players, averaging 14.5 points per game with 7.5 rebounds, three steals and four assists while shooting 80 percent from the free-throw line. She’s become a player Brisson can’t take off the floor, highlighted by the fact that Kimball has played all but a handful of minutes in the Rams’ 22 games.
“I would say she rebounds for us, scores it for us and I make her defend the opposing team’s best player,” Brisson said. “She just has a level of toughness. I have two kids that are playing and starting for me right now that, basically, if they’re not on the floor, there’s no chance we can win the game and she’s one of those two kids.”
The transition was easier than expected for both sides. Kimball immediately fit into the locker room and Tilton’s identity on the court, and took to Brisson’s style of coaching from the first day she arrived on campus.
“I think probably her best attribute as a player is her coachability,” Brisson said. “She grew up as a coach’s kid so she was constantly coached her entire life. It was really, really easy for her to translate.”
Kimball doesn’t want her time in Tilton to end. It’s her final season and the sole focus in the short term will be helping the Rams capture another Lakes Region and NEPSAC Class B championship. Long term, Kimball is fired up to continue her basketball career at Division II’s Merrimack College next fall.
“Right now, I just have the mindset of getting better and working and finishing my year at Tilton,” Kimball said. “I do not wish it to end. I love it here and I don’t want to rush the end at all. … As for the future, I just want to work hard, be better and go into Merrimack and take every opportunity I can get and make it a great experience.”
Playing in college has always been the plan. Playing at Merrimack became a reality last summer. Kimball verbally committed during the third week of July and will be joining the Warriors’ program eager to build on the foundation that Tilton School and MV started.
“They recruited me pretty early starting when I first came to Tilton,” Kimball said. “They came and watched some pickup games and showed some interest. I started touring some more schools and got out to meet coaches and watch practices and see some campuses and I just fell in love with Merrimack.”
It will only be a matter of time before Merrimack begins to fall in love with Kimball, too.
(Jay McAree can be reached at 369-3340, jmcaree@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @JayMcAree.)