LYMAN — "I love the lake. I love to go boating, water-skiing, wake-boarding, tubing, cliff-jumping... it's my second home," McKinley Bradshaw told the Herald, when asked what she does for fun.

"I've always loved the water," Bradshaw added.

So much so, that the four-time all-state basketball selection almost opted to swim rather than to compete on the hardwood during the winter sports season for Lyman Middle School and Lyman High School.

"Both of my parents were swimmers and my older brother played basketball for a year or two and then he joined the swim team. I had a sister who swam all four years and another brother who was a swimmer, so I just figured that's what I'd do, too," Bradshaw explained.

"I really like watching Olympic swimming but no, I realized I didn't want to do that. It wasn't for me," Bradshaw elaborated.

"I'm just going to learn as much as I possible can to discover my role, whether that's as a defensive player, a scorer or both," Bradshaw said.

"Whatever I can do to give my team the best chance for success," she added.

Bradshaw shared that she was going to pursue a degree which would allow her to become a physical therapist but has since decided to explore what options may present themselves relevant to her education in Laramie.

Bradshaw shares an award with her Cowgirl coach, Gerald Mattinson. Both won the Milward Simpson award, bestowed on the Cowboy State’s best male and female athletes. Mattinson won in 1977 and Bradshaw in 2019.