Hamilton Southeastern High School senior basketball player Kayla Stidham was faced with a difficult decision.
The 6-foot Stidham chose to transfer from the New Palestine school system to HSE in eighth grade.
“I wouldn’t be where I am without HSE,” she said. “It has helped me grow as a person and player. It was also one of the hardest decisions leaving everything I knew to start something brand new, but it was one of the best decisions I’ve made.”
Stidham, who will play for Bowling Green University next season, is averaging 14.9 points and a team-high 7.1 rebounds per game through 11 games for the Royals (9-2). She averaged 10.5 ppg last season and 11.9 ppg as a sophomore.
“My individual goals are to continue doing the little things like rebounding and diving for loose balls,” Stidham said. “As a team, I hope we are able to make another run. We have a lot of young girls who all work super hard and deserve a good run in the tournament.”
The Royals were 27-1 last season, losing in the Class 4A semistate final to Warsaw.
HSE coach Brian Satterfield said Stidham has improved in several areas throughout her high school career.
“She has become a more well-rounded player,” he said. “When she first joined the program, she was mainly an offensive threat. This year, she leads the team in rebounds and has recorded four double-doubles so far. Her improvement defensively has also been a huge plus for our team. Another area that has helped her game is the mental approach she has worked hard on. You can tell a difference in how she handles and reacts to different situations this year.”
Stidham is shooting 38 percent from the field, including 31 percent from 3-point range. She shot 43 percent overall and 40 percent on 3-pointers last season. Satterfield said opponents are focusing more on Stidham and Kennedy Holman this season with the graduation of top scorer Maya Makulusky, the 2025 Indiana Miss Basketball.
“In the past, the defense would focus on Maya, and that allowed Kayla to get better quality looks,” he said. “Kayla has begun to get a better feel for this and has slowly been bringing up her percentages. She hasn’t settled for just jump shots and has been aggressive going to the rim and the basket. With these improvements, she made it more challenging for someone to guard her.”
Stidham said her biggest improvement has been in becoming a more complete player, not simply a shooter.
“I’ve been working on being more physical and getting to the basket while also working on the defensive end,” she said.
Her leadership ability has grown as well.
“Helping the underclassmen work through the struggles and stresses that come in high school has been a big point — not just on the court, but also off the court,” she said.
Stidham’s mother, Lisa Shepherd-Stidham, was the 1997 Indiana Miss Basketball from Richmond High School. The former Penn State University player was inducted into Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.
Stidham said she always had a goal of being an Indiana All-Star.
“I’ve put in so much time and effort into getting a spot,” Stidham said. “I definitely look up to my mom in those aspects of basketball.”
Favorite movie: “The Notebook”
Favorite subject: Anatomy
Favorite athlete: Aja Wilson
Favorite musician: Summer Walker
