'Next play': Why Kelbie Washington, Michael Neal stuck together from Norman High to OU basketball

Kelbie Washington had a decision to make.

During Washington’s senior year of high school, her dream of playing basketball at Oklahoma was as real as ever. The Norman High point guard started garnering interest from different colleges, including offers from Oklahoma State, Wichita State, Rutgers and Army, among others. Washington, however, was still waiting on an offer from OU.

Eventually, when the offer came, Washington committed to play for former Norman High coach Sherri Coale and the Sooners. While many expected her to wait it out and evaluate her options, the multi-talented perfectionist knew exactly where she wanted to be.

Then, a month and a half before Washington’s graduation, Coale announced her retirement on March 17. Washington, who had been committed to Coale and the Sooners for nearly a year, could once again evaluate her options and look elsewhere. For the second time, though, Washington picked the Sooners. Not for the coach, not for the location, but for her dream school.

Ten months later, the freshman guard is averaging 7.1 points and a team-high four assists per game in her first season at OU. She is also a defensive anchor for the Sooners, averaging 1.8 steals per game. Under Coale’s successor, head coach Jennie Baranczyk, Washington has started in 16 of OU’s 25 games and is a big reason why the Sooners boast a 22-6 record and have been ranked in the top 20 for seven straight weeks.

“I’m so happy I did,” Washington said of her decision to remain committed to OU as she and the Sooners near their first NCAA Tournament berth as a team since 2017-18, “because it’s all working out now. I kind of just knew this is where I want to be.

“I knew when Sherri told me that she was leaving I was always going to stay. It was never like ‘maybe I should look into it.’ Norman was just home, and I didn't want to play anywhere else. Before even meeting Coach Jennie or any of them, I just put my faith in them.”

A key driver of Washington’s decision making as a person and development as a player also matriculated from Norman High to OU at the same time. Former Norman High coach and OU player Michael Neal is an important mentor of Washington’s who, through diligent teaching and doling out crackers, challenged his pupil to channel her perfectionist streak into steady progression to becoming a Division I talent.

Five years earlier, Washington had needed to make another decision. She was set to attend Moore High School but was having second thoughts. One of her biggest make-or-break factors was that she wanted to compete in different sports instead of just picking one.

Washington and her parents, Robert and Christy, had met Neal through the AAU basketball scene, and Washington had trained with Neal several times after. Because of the previous relationship with Neal, playing for him at Norman High became an option for the sought after soon-to-be freshman.

When Neal talked with the Washington family, he was completely on board with Washington playing many sports, and he even encouraged it. He wanted Washington to play whatever she wanted, and he knew playing different sports would help her develop as an athlete.

“He told us he had no problem with that, whatsoever,” Christy Washington said. “He was actually like, ‘I love it.’ She's super competitive. She wants to play. She wants to do everything. So we wanted her to do those things. So he was really incredible. He was always really good about making sure that she could do anything.”

With Neal’s support of Washington’s overarching athletic career, the freshman was ready to attend Norman High. That was just the beginning of a powerful relationship between Neal and Washington, on and off the court, that has gone on for the better part of a decade. Washington and Neal learned, won and grew together, as Washington’s decision to play for Neal resulted in a historic high school basketball career and new opportunities for the pair bringing them both to OU.

When Washington had to decide where she would spend her college basketball career, Neal was able to make Washington’s decision to remain committed to the recently hired Baranczyk a little easier. His arrival as an assistant on Baranczyk’s staff reaffirmed Washington’s sense of home at Oklahoma.

“Our relationship ... (has) always been special to me,” said Washington. “I've known him since before I was a freshman. I trained with him growing up. I knew him before I even decided to go to Norman High because I was originally going to go to Moore. I decided I wanted to stay with Coach Neal, though.”

Honing perfectionism

From the time she first picked up a basketball, Washington knew she wanted to play for the hometown Sooners, describing it as her “destiny,” since she grew up nearby. Washington’s competitive spirit and will to win were early indicators of success she would later have on the court.

When Washington was 9 years old, she competed in the USA Track & Field Hershey Youth National Championships in Pennsylvania. During a break in her day, she talked to reporters for the first time. They were discussing her goals and dreams and asked a simple question: Tell me something about yourself.

That was an easy answer for the 9-year-old Washington, who kindly emphasized not once, but twice, that she didn’t like to lose. Ever.

“It's funny because, even as a little girl, she would defend anyone on the court or on the field with her,” said Christy Washington. “She was 9. She's always just been ultra competitive. She's been like that since she was a little baby.”

Washington grew up in Norman around a family that was heavily involved in athletics. Her dad was a wrestling coach while her two older brothers both played sports.

Coaches in every sport were after her time and dedication, knowing she could be the best at whichever sport she ended up choosing. When she narrowed it down to soccer, basketball and track, she was able to find ways to improve at all three. One of those ways was always playing up a grade division to battle against the best competition possible.

Eventually, Christy realized her daughter had a serious chance of being a Division I athlete.

“I think it was like sixth or seventh grade,” Christy said. “We always played against these great teams. She was always on high-caliber teams, too. She was just really fortunate to be surrounded by good people and good coaches for summer ball. We would go to these tournaments and they would be lined with college coaches. I'd look over there and I'd see an OU shirt. I was like, ‘Oh, there are definitely big-time people here.’”

Washington and Neal had work to do to get her ready to play at the top level, though, especially during the younger years of high school, but the trials and challenges the two faced together helped their relationship become what it is today.

“When Kelbie was a freshman, she wanted to be perfect,” Neal said. “She didn't understand why she wasn't perfect whenever things wouldn't go her way. We spent literally every Sunday either watching film or working on shooting. We took those opportunities to come in, and we watched the things that we weren't doing well. We watched the things that we were having success with.”

Washington’s want to be perfect was a good thing, Neal just had to figure out how to hone it in and use it as positive energy. Her ability to be coached was what allowed Neal to make that lasting impact.

“When things don't go my way, I always just get very frustrated with it, where I'm like, ‘Why do I do this? Why is it not perfect?’ and Coach Neal would always just say, 'Next play,'” Washington said. “Now, that’s kind of just in my head always, and it's working. I mean, my freshman year, I was like, ‘whatever.’ He would always tell me, ’Next play, you need to just move on and then do better the next possession.’ Now, it’s something I think back to.”

Championship pedigree coach

Neal’s coaching style helps him attract top-notch players. His 2020-21 team at Norman High featured three other high-profile basketball prospects alongside Washington. Chantae Embry signed to play for Texas Tech, Mikayla Parks is committed to Kansas State and Myka Perry is set to join Florida next season.

From 2005-06, Neal averaged 12.4 points per game while shooting 42.4 percent from behind the 3-point line at OU. His perspective playing at the highest level adds to his coaching acumen.

“My coaching style factors into my ability to relate with players,” Neal said. “I love the process of watching players progress with whatever their skill sets allow them to and whatever the program schemes are. Diving into players and making sure that they are doing everything that's necessary for them to be successful is something that I really, really enjoy.”

Neal spent seven seasons at Norman High, where he transformed girls basketball in Oklahoma.

In his last two seasons, Neal led the Lady Tigers to a 43-1 overall record. He also coached the Lady Tigers to two state championships, as the 2018-19 squad finished the season with a 23-7 record and followed that up with an undefeated 19-0 season in 2020-21. In 2019-20, the Lady Tigers would’ve been the favorite to win it again, but the state tournament was canceled due to COVID-19. To little surprise, Neal was named The Oklahoman's 2021 Super 5 Coach of the Year.

“Coach Neal would always preach relationships,” said Frankie Parks, Neal’s longtime assistant and Norman’s current head coach. “I think the better the relationship, the better the fruit at the end. With our program, we had a lot of relationships, not only within the program but (also) outside of the program which even helped bring girls into our program.

“From there you continue to build those relationships, and I think the first couple of years that Coach Neal was here, there weren't really the relationships on the girls side. So it was just a combination of us getting together and using his story and strengths, and then mine to really kind of work on the program. Over time, we can see the relationships that he's built from the ground up basically, which has really helped him get to where he's at. At this stage, I think that's pretty awesome.”

Washington and Neal was a player-coach relationship that was meant to be, as Washington is always looking for ways to get better, while Neal has a knack for player development.

Whenever Washington had struggles or questions, the strong relationship between her and her coach allowed her the comfortability to call Neal on the phone whenever. Throughout high school, Washington and Neal communicated throughout the entire week and into the weekend about ways to improve and get better.

“She was always asking if we could get shots up at five o'clock in the morning,” Neal said. “We got a regimen to where we're up at five in the morning even when we weren't practicing at five in the morning. It would just be us and then she would really, really be paying attention to herself.”

“Next play” is the catchphrase Washington played with in high school and still plays with to this day. At first, as a young high school player, she struggled to work past her mistakes. She also grappled with subpar team performance and wasn’t used to losing in youth sports.

“We just weren't good at all,” said Washington. “And so being 15 years old, I was like, ‘I'm winning state,’ I know it. I didn’t know about the other competition, or anything really, like our conference or our opponents. So when we would lose all the time, I would get so frustrated.”

Washington needed encouragement and convincing, and Neal knew keeping her throughout her high school career was a huge priority. He also wanted to help her develop and get to the next level, so he took a neat approach.

Neal bargained with Washington’s love for Whales crackers. She wasn’t rewarded with the orange bite-sized snack when she played well and she wasn’t rewarded when she scored 20 points, but she was rewarded when she wasn’t frustrated.

”He said 'Every time you don't get frustrated, I'll buy you Whales,’” said Washington, referring to the popular snack. “He knows that I’m just obsessed with them. He actually bought me those for a while.”

Washington and Neal had to learn to grow together, and when they did, it was special. The pair won two state championships and ended the last three years of their high school careers with a 66-8 record.

Washington and Neal’s next chapter

As Washington narrowed her college choices, Neal knew where her heart was all along. He understood if OU offered, she couldn’t turn it down.

“Kelbie always just wanted to be home, here at the University of Oklahoma,” Neal said. “She didn't know if that was going to happen because there wasn't much attention until the end of her junior year. She was trying to figure out what was the best situation for her because Oklahoma may not be an opportunity. And then whenever they offered, that was a blessing for her and she just dove into it.”

In a wild turn of offseason events following Coale’s retirement and Baranczyk’s hire 24 days later, the Sooners’ new head coach contacted Neal about an assistant coaching position. Neal’s reputation for being well connected throughout the state made him an attractive candidate. Baranczyk eventually offered Neal a position on her staff, and on April 22, Neal accepted the opportunity.

While Neal was dominating Oklahoma high school basketball, the Sooners’ program was seriously slipping. In Coale’s last three seasons from 2018-21, OU went 32-52 and missed the NCAA Tournament each time. It was a far cry from her success in the 2000s, where she led the Sooners to six Big 12 regular season championships, four Big 12 Tournament championships and three Final Four appearances spanning 2000-2010.

“The University of Oklahoma is a special place, and with the opportunity to come in and help get it back to where it once was — and perhaps better — it was just something that resonated with me,” Neal said. “When Jennie and I spoke about it, I just fell in love with that opportunity. That was all I was consumed with after talking to her and I felt like I could do a really, really good job serving this university in this program.”

With Neal accepting the coaching position and Washington joining the team, the two were together again. This time, the stage was much bigger, but the little things remained the same.

Throughout Washington’s acclimation process, having Neal as a familiar face was helpful. Their relationship may look slightly different at the college ranks, but the bond has gotten stronger.

“It’s still Coach Neal, but it's more of an adult conversation,” Washington said. “That part was kind of funny to me, because I remember our first week here. I said something to him and remember thinking that conversation was so weird, because I felt like an adult talking to (him). I think that is what makes our relationship even stronger though, he's known me since I was a little girl. He knows how I am.”

Washington and Neal embarked on a journey with Oklahoma they both knew would be no easy task. Coming off two state titles and a historic winning streak, the winning standard at OU wasn’t on the same level.

The goal for both Washington and Neal was, and is, to help change the culture and help the fans buy into what women’s basketball at OU could return to.

So far, they’ve done just that. Washington, Neal and the Sooners are currently ranked in the top 20 with a chance to host an NCAA Tournament round, and Washington’s play style has been thriving under Baranczyk, her facilitation playing well in her new coach’s share-the-ball offense.

While Washington and Neal had the same common goal for the past four years at Norman High, their thought process once again remains the same. They share the same vision of what’s to come at Oklahoma.

“We're going to shock a lot of people,” said Washington. “People don't really talk about OU women's basketball. And I think that people are going to start doing that. We're not the most athletic team, we're not the fastest team, but we're gonna be the most competitive team. That's what brings us together, we're such a big family. I think that's what's gonna help us win games.”