4-star recruit Laci Steele ready to ‘give 110%’ at NC State
EDMOND, Okla. (BVM) — The Edmond North girls basketball team won the Class 6A state title for the first time in school history last season. The team was led by many great players, including the Class 6A tournament MVP and now current Navy women’s basketball player Toni Papahronis. Now the Lady Huskies will be aiming to win back-to-back titles, this time relying on the play of senior leader, Laci Steele.
From an early age, Steele wanted to compete. It didn’t matter if it was a sport or doing something around the house; Steele wanted to feed the fire of competitiveness that was burning inside her. Her family helped her do just that.
“My parents are very competitive,” Steele said. “They’ve worked very hard to get where they are in their life. They were in the Navy, so they taught me the value of hard work. I have an older brother, and we were very competitive growing up as well, just with everything we did. Whether it be running to the car, who can get into the house the fastest, just things like that.”
As Steele grew up, she took an interest in sports. She’d grow up playing multiple sports, but only one sport would capture her heart.
“Growing up, I was very athletic; my parents wanted me to get into sports early,” Steele said. “I played soccer, softball and basketball. Out of all three, I really just loved and was good at basketball. My parents didn’t play basketball; it was just kind of like my own thing. I was just really good at it. I love everything about it; offensive [and] defense, you know, getting after it, being aggressive, the hard work that you put in.”
As Steele continued to play on the basketball court, her skills improved. But maybe most importantly, her mindset on and off the court was already at an elite level.
“My mindset is to play the best I can,” Steele said. “I can’t control my teammates, the refs, or my coach. I can control everything that I do, the hard work I do on the court, the hard work I’m going to give whenever I’m out there. That’s the only thing I can control. So, I might as well give 110% every second I’m on the floor.”
Having that mindset helped Steele see the game differently. Because her mentality around basketball has improved, her junior year on the basketball court was nothing short of remarkable. Steele went on to average 21.9 points and 7.6 rebounds. Steele also set an Edmond North single-season scoring record with 614 points.
Along with success at the high school level, Steele has also relied upon the AAU season. There she competes against some of the best talent the nation has to offer.
“It’s definitely different,” Steele said. “AAU helped me a lot because I’m playing the position I will in college. I’m a two/three in AAU, and in high school, I’m a four/five, and I would never play that in college. If I didn’t have AAU, I wouldn’t be as good as I am right now. High school has a lot of benefits [too]. You get really close with your team, which is always great.”
Furthermore, Steele has also learned valuable lessons from her high school coach, Pete Papahronis.
“It’s definitely been a good experience,” Steele said. “He definitely does know a lot, and he’s very wise in the way of everything basketball. For me, he’s helped me with team defense. He’s definitely helped me become a better all-around player.”
With Steele learning valuable lessons on and off the court and the progression of her skills reaching extraordinary levels, DI programs began to take notice. Steele received her first DI offer when she was in eighth grade. Being recruited for nearly five years could overwhelm any athlete, but Steele handled her recruiting process with ease.
“My mom, she really helped me make sure I talked to everyone I needed to and scheduled my times,” Steele said with a chuckle. “So, my time management was really good. It was crazy with school and everything, but it was all worth it.”
However, Steele, a four-star recruit, had to decide on where she’d continue her athletic and academic career. That decision came on Sept. 28 as Steele mulled over offers from Georgia Tech, NC State, Northwestern, Texas A&M and USC.
I’ll be announcing my commitment live in the Edmond North Siberian Gym Wed at 6pm CT. Everyone is invited! #okpreps @lady_husky_hoop @ProSkillsGBB @JamesDJackson15 @sheloveshoops pic.twitter.com/tkOTFcgjQM
— Laci Steele (@LaciSteele24) September 25, 2022
Steele announced that she would be heading to Raleigh to play for the Wolfpack and coach Wes Moore.
“What put them [NC State] over the top was just the people and the culture they’ve been able to have for the past few years,” Steele said. “I can really see myself playing at Reynolds Coliseum. I really just saw myself there with the players and coaches.”
Running with the Pack!#WPN #COMMITTED@PackWomensBball #OKPREPS@lady_husky_hoop @ProSkillsGBB pic.twitter.com/XBJVZmqgjz
— Laci Steele (@LaciSteele24) September 28, 2022
Edmond North’s Laci Steele @LaciSteele2023 chooses NC State. #OKPreps pic.twitter.com/RUYVpHcQdW
— James D. Jackson (@JamesDJackson15) September 28, 2022
With her future athletic destination now set, Steele is focusing on helping the Lady Huskies win another title. And with this being her last year at Edmond North, it will be a bittersweet season. But Steele is focused on only one thing: playing ball.
“Basketball brings people together,” Steele said. “You get five random people together and play. It’s a great mind game as well. I love the intellectual part of basketball. It’s everything to me. I can’t go a day without thinking about, ‘I want to get shots up [or] I want to scrimmage someone.’”
