Like Father, Like Daughter: The Kellogg family finds basketball success in Morgantown
By Joseph Smith
For most people, the name Kellogg is associated with an international brand of cereal and snacks.
But in Morgantown, W.Va, the name Kellogg is quickly becoming synonymous with success on the hardwood.
In his inaugural season at the helm of West Virginia’s women’s basketball program, coach Mark Kellogg is showing the chops that earned him the job.
So far, Kellogg’s team sits at 24-7 on the season, making him the winningest first-year head coach in program history. They dropped a matchup to a Top-25 opponent in Kansas State this past week in the Big 12 Women’s Basketball Tournament, but will likely earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament come Selection Sunday.
When Kellogg was hired for the job this past offseason, WVU Athletic Director Wren Baker was clear on his thoughts concerning the new coach.
“Mark Kellogg is an established winner who has made a name for himself by building championship programs and preparing his student-athletes to be leaders on and off the court,” Baker said.
Not even a year later, those words are proving about as true as they possibly could as Kellogg has his team hopeful for postseason glory. But he isn’t the only Kellogg in town experiencing some March Madness.
That’s because Mark’s daughter Kayli Kellogg found her own tournament success in the Class AAAA WVSSAC Girls’ Basketball Tournament this past week, as the Morgantown High School (W.Va) freshman dropped a trio of standout performances en route to the state championship game, where her team finished as state runners-up.
The younger Kellogg would score 61 total points across her three games at the state tournament, and she would be named to the Class AAAA all-tournament team for her efforts.
After the opening game of the state tournament, she talked about finding her groove on such a large stage.
“In a new gym, it’s hard to shoot for the first time, but I was comfortable,” she said. “My teammates did a good job of keeping my confidence up and telling me to keep shooting.”
In the state championship game, she managed 22 points to pace her team -- for most players, that’d be an outstanding performance. Opposing guard Natalie Daugherty of Wheeling Park (W.Va) was happy just to slow Kellogg down that much.
“Was trying to stay tighter on her, because she was on fire. My team did a good job hedging ball screens and not letting her get free shots,” Daugherty said.
While it may be a bit early in the father-daughter duo’s stay in Morgantown, it's clear that the city has been blessed by a family that knows a good bit about the game of basketball. And the family sticks together into Kayli’s college career, perhaps down the line the pair can bring home a Big 12 Championship -- or even an NCAA title.