The sophomore guard from Gahanna is averaging more than 13 points per game.
Sophomore guard Quiera “Kiki” Lampkins can do it all for the Bobcats.
She can score from the wing, drive the paint, assist her teammates and outrebound opponents despite average height.
She can also recite “My Deepest Fear” by poet Mary Elderman, verbatim.
“Growing up with (my dad), he’s really into poems,” she said with a smile. “He’s a writer (and) poet; he always had me reading something or writing out goals. But it hasn’t hit me until now how those poems can help me out in life. I’ve been reading a few (lately) for confidence and competitive fire.”
Quiera, one of four children, was raised in a rather unorthodox household. Her father, Andre, was a college athlete and wanted his children to be cultured growing up in Gahanna, a Columbus suburb.
At a young age, Quiera and her siblings were pushed to read novels, poetry and be informed by the news. Even when Quiera, who is fairly close with her father, wanted to go out to the movies with her friends, Andre wanted her to recite lines from a poem or a quote before giving his approval.
Andre said he never wanted his daughter, or any of his children, to rely solely on sports to further their education and life.
“Because of my experience with sports and because I’ve always been very culturally aware, I wanted to make sure I wasn’t raising a dumb child,” Andre said. “I knew she would be at school one day and someone would have questions about why she was there. I wanted her to be able to get into a college classroom and compete with the best and the brightest.”
Sophomore forward Tmisht Stimson, one of Quiera’s roommates this year, said Quiera enjoys reading “adult” books when she’s away from the court.
Even her high school coach, Rick Hauser, an Ohio University alumnus, recalled Quiera enjoying literature while he taught her senior government class.
“She always had a head in a book,” Hauser said. “She likes to read literature and fiction stories. I don’t really know her thirst for knowledge, but I know she likes to read.”
Having a role in the Bobcats’ historical season wasn’t on Quiera’s mind growing up. She was originally a cheerleader and disdained the idea of playing basketball because it showed off her “ashy knees.”
{{tncms-asset app="editorial" id="ab25fbdc-aa61-11e4-be88-87fd1a22f040"}}
“I was never one of those fathers that said during rec-league ball in fourth or fifth grade, that she’s going to play college basketball,” Andre said. “I made it a priority to keep her busy, because of the characteristics she was going to develop being involved in sports. If it was cheerleading, volleyball or basketball, I always made sure she was involved in something she could walk away from saying, ‘I learned this from that.’”
But Quiera’s basketball career almost didn’t have the chance to blossom. During seventh grade, Lampkins played on an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team that featured numerous pre-Division I basketball players and only received about two minutes per game. Andre eventually pulled her from the team so she could develop and gain experience.
“I watched Kiki play since the seventh grade; she played at one of our middle schools here, and eventually played on our varsity team,” Hauser said. “A hardworking kid that will guard anyone that needs to be guarded. She may have troubles with some bigs … but one thing I like about her is that she is a quarterback on the court.”
Hauser said Quiera is knowledgeable with a variety of offensive sets — something she has excelled at with Ohio coach Bob Boldon’s motion offense.
Playing mainly as the Bobcats’ shooting guard, Quiera has racked up team team-highs in rebounds (137) and assists (55), along with a team second-best 263 points.
She also leads the team in double-doubles with five.
“Kiki’s a tremendous basketball player,” Boldon said. “She’s a player that’s trying to grow as well. She’s trying to get better.”
Stimson agreed, adding that she’ll “put you in your place” on the court. However, she said Quiera’s off-the-court demeanor is quite different.
“She’s sweet and very helpful,” Stimson said. “When you’re down she’ll pick you up. She’ll be there for you.”
@Lukeoroark
Lr514812@ohio.edu
