Sophomore Amillia Prochnow recounts her experience so far as a recruiting prospect for women’s college basketball. 

Through the sport of basketball, Amillia Prochnow ‘27 has thrived both as a player and as a person who’s already garnering the attention of colleges as a sophomore. 

The Prochnow family has spent a lot of time watching basketball together at home since she was young. Being surrounded by the sport and getting to watch her cousin, Nicole, make it through college and into the WNBA helped spark Amillia’s interest in the sport, “Once I started picking up the ball, I just fell in love with the game,” she explains. 

The biggest motivating factor for Amillia is watching the success of other women who have been able to advance their careers to the collegiate and professional levels. 

At the high school level, most colleges scout girls over the off-season when the prospects with the most talent are playing on competitive circuits and AAU teams. In addition to looking for players’ abilities to impact the game on the offensive and defensive end, scouts also look for things outside of their talents in basketball. Things like attitude, behavior, background, and academic excellence can all be factors that influence their decision.

The division and level of play of the college teams impact what coaches look for, explains Varsity Head Coach Rodney Gilyard, “If you’re a power conference school, like KU, K-State, or Texas, those coaches are looking for kids that can play in their conference…You have to be able to defend your position, whatever that might be, and make moves on the offensive end. A lot of kids can play at the college level, they just have to find out where they fit.” 

College recruiting has brought along some challenges for Prochnow. Due to her size, she has to compete for the same spots as girls who are older and taller than her. But, “I know that I still have to go out there and be a dog no matter what,” she says. 

A few things about Amillia make her stand out as a recruiting candidate. Due to the countless hours she spends developing skills and developing her game, she’s able to transfer what she’s learning very efficiently from practice to the game environment. “She’s able to create opportunities for herself in games that, frankly, other kids just can’t do,” says Coach Gilyard.

So far, schools like Kansas University, Kansas State University, Cal Poly, Wichita State, Colorado, and Arkansas have expressed interest in Amillia and her talents. She also received her first offer this weekend, adding to her long list of accomplishments. 

However, Amillia’s sights haven’t always been on college basketball. “I started not really knowing where I was going to go with it,” she explains. Over time, she’s developed into a well-balanced athlete who can impact the game on both ends of the court. “Becoming a sought-after prospect was something I’ve always wanted to accomplish, but I never knew that I could until I started to work hard.” 

College recruiting is also a special time for the player’s families. Coach Gilyard experienced the process alongside his son, Jacob Gilyard ‘17, who was recruited to play at Richmond University and now plays for the Cleveland Charge. 

While making sure that their kid stays challenged and is constantly learning, it’s also important, as a parent, to “let it be their experience, too, and have them go through the ups and downs of what comes with playing competitive sports. But, we can help them by being there and keeping our sights on [college basketball]” he says. 

“Work in silence and keep stacking days” is advice that Amillia’s father gave her that has guided her throughout her career. It has helped her realize that “you’re not always going to have great coaches or good people around you, but you’re going to have to keep doing the work yourself to get better.”

At the moment, Amillia is unsure whether she will pursue a career in the WNBA, but she is interested in working for her dad in business and potentially coaching at the collegiate level. 

Outside of basketball, Prochnow also enjoys things like hanging out with friends, playing Fortnite, and spending time with her family. You can also catch her on adventures with her friends or taking her younger brother, Hank Prochnow ‘37, places to spend time with him. 

This year, Prochnow’s main goal for the girls team is to enjoy the season together, despite the challenges they’ve faced with a roster of only six girls. She also wants to ensure that she steps up as a team leader and develops close relationships with all her teammates to achieve success.  

Amillia also reminds us that it’s important to recognize that, despite how great she is as a player, she’s also a person who has more to offer than just her skills on the court, “When I leave Barstow, I don’t want to just be known as a basketball player. I also want to be known as somebody that is a good person to be around and someone that people can come and talk to.” 

To have a girl like Amillia play on Barstow’s team has been great for both the team and for her development as a player. She’s able to bring skills to the team that have been really helpful in game situations, but Coach Gilyard is also dealing with the challenge of allowing her to be who she is and play at her level while balancing the skills of the other girls on the team to make sure that they can be successful. 

Coach Gilyard’s advice to Amillia is “Don’t focus on the small stuff, just focus on what you can control. If you can’t, just let it go. Always be comfortable. Always be a good person to coaches; they’re looking for non-tangible and non-basketball things too, so carry yourself around your teammates and success will come to you.”  

However, he also has advice for others who are looking to pursue their talents and take them to the next level, “If you really love something, whether it’s you want to become an astronaut, a teacher, a chemist, whatever it is, you have to put a lot of work into that. If you really want to excel at something and stand out against others like you, a lot of the work will come from outside of your practice.” 

As always, do your best to come to the girls basketball games. Alex Dean ‘26, Addison Huff ‘28, Zaniyah Cooper ‘27, Talia Dreher ‘27, Naeema Banday ‘28 and Amillia put in work every day after school, and they deserve to see their classmates show up and show out for them. If you’re interested, they’d also really appreciate any girls who are willing to participate and help grow the roster. 

Be sure to congratulate Prochnow on her success, and we wish her the best as she continues her career through high school and on into college!