Faith
Pickens
Moolah Kicks Neovolt Pro
West Virginia’s Mid-Ohio Valley doesn’t have a constantly fed well of talent when it comes to athletics, which makes it even more special when a star comes through one of the many programs that call the region home.
One of those breakthrough athletes is Williamstown’s Faith Pickens, a 6-foot-2 forward that took the Little Kanawha Conference by storm in her sophomore campaign. A leader among her younger peers — she was the only 10th-grader on a roster dominated by freshmen as well as two seniors and one junior — Pickens hit the midway mark on reaching 1,000 points and rebounds, one of her goals for her high school career.
Her 13.5 points and 11.2 rebounds per game averages helped the Yellowjackets silence all the doubters.
“We blew everyone away,” Pickens said. “We were expected to win only six games and ended up winning (19); we went way further than anyone else thought we would. We accomplished things as a team that I didn’t think we would.”
The Yellowjackets dominated the conference, securing the LKC title over Doddridge County in mid-February, but, sadly, Williamstown’s hunt for a Class 2A state title fell short in the regional finals. After beating rival Ritchie County 56-38 in the section championship to host a homer with Wheeling Central, the Maroon Knights shocked the Jackets with a strong defensive effort to upset the hosts and make the state tournament field.
Sophomore Forward Williamstown HS
13.5 PPG and 11.2 RPG
Naturally, Pickens is already thinking about next year.
“As a team, we need to use it as fuel for next year,” she said. “Use the anger we had of losing and put it into next season; work in the offseason and come back as a better team and more confident that we can (go to Charleston).”
Pickens isn’t hanging up her sneakers for the summer, however. She earned a spot with the WPA Bruins travel team out of Pittsburgh and will be playing with some of the best regional high school talent. When asked about what she hopes to learn from the experience, she said she’s looking forward to the fast-paced nature of the travel circuit.
“I’ll go up against better girls than we play in high school and I know they’ll push me to be better,” she added. “I hope I’ll use that opportunity to grow as a player.
“All those girls are really good, some of the best on their (high school) teams, so I’m excited to see how far we go.”
The Kicks
Moolah Kicks Neovolt Pro
Release / 2022
Fun fact / Specifically designed to match the biometrics of women’s basketball players, the Neovolt Pro was the official game sneaker of WNBA rookie Destanni Henderson and UConn’s Caroline Ducharme.
Likely carrying her through UAA ball will be her Moolah Kicks. Donning the Neovolt Pros, the orange and pink colorway is as bright as Pickens’ attitude and future — really bright. And while the shoes are found at Dick’s Sporting Goods, some may not know the story behind the brand.
Pickens put it simply: they’re basketball shoes made by and for women hoopers.
“They’re made by female basketball players which I think is pretty cool because I’ve always had to buy men’s shoes because I have really big feet,” Pickens said. “It’s important and nice to have shoes that fit more to (my feet) rather than having to wear men’s shoes that don’t fit as well.”
Women’s sports have always played second fiddle to men’s sports, especially basketball. The debate around equality — fair pay, etc. — is more than valid, yet the issue of women not having their own basketball shoes became prevalent on the national stage three years ago when then-9-year-old Riley Morrison wrote to Warriors star Steph Curry that girls “wanted to wear the Curry 5s, too.” That sparked a mini-movement that saw Morrison help co-design the Curry 6s which were released on International Women’s Day.
Naturally, Moolah Kicks saw an opening and, as any smart business plan goes, filled a much-desired need and began producing some of the sleekest, dare I say, most dope sneakers for women basketball players. According to Moolah, their sneakers are “built different from the inside.” The brand supports this by highlighting their product's narrow heel, lifted arch, slimmer width and shallow lateral side, which means their shoes “biomechanically support the female hoopers, and should decrease the risk of knee, ankle, and leg injuries that are too common in WBB.”
As I said, pretty dope.
But Moolah isn’t just about making waves, they truly care about their product and women’s basketball. Even down to their marketing, Moolah’s packaging provides a visual of what women’s hoops has to fight against.
“On the outside, the blue and yellow represents the average attendance ratio at NCAA men’s (blue) versus women’s (yellow) games during the 2019 season,” the brand notes on its website. “The inside of the box is a crowd packed around the court. This is the WBB atmosphere we are building together. Moolah is reinvesting in WBB and its players.”
They’re also unapologetic in their mission.
“We have moved away from talk of ‘equality' because it implies that men's basketball is the measuring stick for success,” the brand continues. “But this brand, built by and for female hoopers, prioritizes and champions WBB without measure.”
In many ways, this is an allusion to Pickens’ game. Although she comes off as shy, Pickens is a leader among her youth-laden team; it’s an understatement to say she’s a trendsetter at Williamstown. The Mid-Ohio Valley isn’t known for its athletes, but once someone comes along, everyone gravitates toward supporting them — if they deserve it. And Pickens deserves it.
With her travel season about to begin, Pickens hopes to garner plenty of experience from her talent-packed squad and is ready for the challenge of a much more aggressive circuit. And while she has two seasons left with the Jackets, she’s not shying away from her goals.
“I would really like to play college ball in the future; I want to see where this takes me,” she said. “Like I said, 1,000 points and rebounds would be really cool; LKC Player of the Year is also a goal I have.”
It’s pretty easy to surmise she’ll reach those and more.