For her first two years at Mingus Union High School, Kobe Madore was a three-sport athlete. She played volleyball in the fall, basketball in the winter and softball in the spring. Following her sophomore year, Madore decided to focus solely on basketball. The reason was simple.
Not only was basketball the sport that she enjoyed the most but it was the only one that she felt completely dedicated in.
“Especially during practices, I never gave it my all,” Madore said of the other sports. “Basketball was the only one where I did.”
That’s important for Madore, who added that she’d like to be remembered at Mingus for giving a full effort.
“I feel like I’ve put 100% into things,” she said. “It goes unnoticed sometimes. But I want to be thought of as someone who put 100% into things and worked really hard.”
Additionally, being named Kobe, basketball was kind of her destiny.
Madore is in fact named after the late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, who is scheduled to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in May. Like her namesake, Madore wears No. 24 when she’s on the court.
“I have tried to fight for that number,” she said. “My father is a huge Kobe Bryant fan and a huge Lakers fan. Me too, as well, obviously.”
Following high school, Madore plans on going to Yavapai College in Prescott. Eventually, she hopes to transfer to Northern Arizona University or another four-year school.
After college, she doesn’t know what her plans are. Madore noted that her potential options cast a wide net that includes going into auto engineering as well as psychology.
“I’ve really been focused on sports my whole life,” Madore said. “I’ve never found any interests outside of that. I’ve done sports year-round. With quarantine and stuff, I’ve been able to work out, listen to music and get more into self care.”
In the nearer future there is basketball season. Like all winter sports, basketball has been put on hold until January.
When it finally does get going, Madore knows that her senior season will be her last season playing basketball. She said she’s not expecting to get a scholarship or to do anything that would allow her to play in college.
One of her best memories in basketball came during her sophomore season. At a road game, she and some of her teammates were talking to a group of guys. When it came time to board the bus, the conversation seemed over. As it turned out, that wasn’t quite the case.
The car the guys were in was riding next to the bus. That lead to Madore and her teammates to stick their heads out of the window screaming at them — much to the chagrin of their coaches.
With her senior season around the corner, Madore’s hope is that she can create more fun memories, as well as to leave the program in good hands after she and her fellow seniors graduate.
“In my last year, I want to have fun,” Madore said. “I want to do as much as I can for the team, to get the upcoming teammates ready and try to help them out as much as I can. At this point, it’s about having fun, doing what I can and make the most out of my time. Obviously, I want to do the best I can out there”
