Basketball teammates since their eighth-grade season, Aymanni Wynn and Kylie Noe guided a resurgence of the Harlan program that last year produced the Lady Dragons’ first 52nd District championship in nine years.
Ranked among the top players in the 13th Region during their final two prep seasons, and following a loss to Corbin in the regional tournament, Wynn and Noe each decided that they had played the final games of their respective careers.
But something just didn’t feel right to either Wynn or Noe regarding their decisions to close the basketball chapter of their respective lives.
Last April, Noe made the decision to continue playing college basketball at Union Commonwealth University in Barbourville, and just weeks later Wynn decided to reunite with her high school teammate to play for Union, as well.
Now 20 games into their inaugural collegiate season, both Wynn and Noe are validating the wisdom of their respective decisions and are both showcasing their skills on the court for Union.
Wynn has started all 20 games this season for the Lady Bulldogs, while Noe has started 19 times. Between them, they have led the team in scoring on 10 occasions and both exceeded the initial expectations of fourth-year head coach Aleka Carr.
“Both players have provided their own type of energy and dynamic to our program,” Carr said. “Early in the year they were intentional in learning our system, playing to their strengths and improving their deficiencies.
“I did not expect either to start this year or even have the impact they’ve had, but I’ve been pleased with their progress since they’ve arrived on campus.”
Wynn scored 2,371 points during her prep career and has already established herself as a major offensive threat at the collegiate level. She has scored 30-plus points twice this season and is averaging nearly 11 points per game, but Carr was quick to add that the 6-foot Wynn is much more than just a scorer.
“People that have watched Aymanni throughout her career probably assume her shooting ability is her strength, but she’s much more than that as a player,” Carr said. “Her versatility to post up, put the ball on the floor, and shoot makes her a tough matchup on the offensive end.  The next step in her development, is to be more confident in attacking off the dribble.”
A 5-foot-10 forward, Noe has a career-high 22-point performance on her collegiate resume and has led the Lady Bulldogs in scoring six times this season. Carr has also been pleased with Noe’s physicality and overall effort and continues to push her to grow in her role with the team.
“Kylie is a physical and athletic post for her size,” Carr said. “Her speed and ability to attack off the dribble makes her a tough mismatch for post players guarding her. Improving her back-to-the-basket scoring is something we’ve been working all season.”
Despite combining for nearly 22 points per game between them this season, Wynn and Noe continue to open the eyes of the coaching staff with their defensive abilities.
“Although their offense has been beneficial to our team this year, it’s their defense and ability to switch from post to guard and back to post that allows them to play the minutes they play,” Carr said.
As both Wynn and Noe continue to grow and settle into their roles at the collegiate level, the familiarity of continuing to play together as teammates has made the transition more comfortable.
“We’ve not only played together, we’ve become sisters over the last 12 years spending five years of high school playing together,” Wynn said. “Being able to go from high school to the collegiate level has made the transition easier having her as a teammate. Playing together for so long has allowed us to build great chemistry, and in a way, we kind of know each other’s next move.
Noe agreed, adding, “Playing with Aymanni for so many years made the transition a lot easier for me. She knows how to pick me up when things aren’t going my way and how to uplift my confidence when it’s not there, and vice versa.”
Likewise, Carr has witnessed the natural chemistry on display between the two former Lady Dragons standouts at practice and in games
“Their relationship allows them to hold each other accountable, and they know they are only trying to help each other be better,” he said. “It’s great when they have a chance to compete against each other in drills because neither want to lose to the other.”
Both Wynn and Noe noted that the speed of the collegiate game has presented one of the primary challenges to being successful at this level, but Carr continues to be high on both players as he looks ahead to the remainder of this season, and beyond.
“Athleticism, size and speed were major adjustments for them,” Carr said. “A lot of things they were able to do in high school, didn’t quite translate at this level. The biggest adjustment, though, was them improving/changing their mentality and approach to the game. They wanted to improve and were willing to adjust their game to be better.
“I’m excited about the ceiling for both Aymanni and Kylie. They’ve been great for us this year, but they both know they have so much more to improve on from both a skill and mentality standpoint. As long as they continue to show up every day trying to be better, the future is bright for both our program and them as individuals.”