Presley Chirico missed her sophomore season at Centre College with a knee injury and then had COVID disrupt her junior season. Now she's leading the Colonels in scoring as a senior. (Centre College Athletics Photo)
Presley Chirico and her two sisters tried to talk their father, Joe, into letting them be “water girls” for his football team at Paintsville High School. He wouldn’t let them but that didn’t stop them from being at football practice with him a lot.
“I was better at catching than throwing the football. I never got the art of throwing,” said Presley Chirico.
However, the current Centre College senior basketball player certainly mastered other sports. She played volleyball and helped her high school team win a region championship her senior season. She “broke a few records” in track.
Chirico also helped Paintsville win its first girls regional basketball championship in 85 years her senior season. She was named most valuable player in the regional tourney despite scoring only two points in the title game. However, she had 24 points in the semifinals and blocked a potential game-winning shot in the final.
Now she’s hoping her senior season at Centre can be something special. A rigorous non-conference schedule has Chirico confident the Colonels can win the Southern Athletic Association. Chirco is averaging a team-high 12.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
“We did not have a single easy non-conference game and that was the best thing for us,” Chirico said. “I think we have a very good chance of winning the conference. We were on the road for a week and played five games. That made us become very close and grow as a team. I think coach (Wendie) Austin knew that work was what we needed.”
She picked Centre College because she knew it would challenge her academically — she wants to be a physician’s assistant — and also provide “great athletic opportunities” for her.
“Danville is huge compared to Paintsville, but I still loved how close everyone on campus was. Some of my closest friends are non-athletes,” she said.
Chirico played in 26 of 27 games as a freshman — more than she expected — and was excited about her sophomore season before tearing her ACL in open gym the day before official practice. She scored in double figures in five of 11 games as a junior during the COVID-shortened season.
“We didn’t get to start my junior year until January because of COVID and that actually gave me more time to get back ready to play,” she said. “I had never been injured before, never broken a bone. It was no fun.”
Her father, now the head football coach at George Rogers Clark High School, is her “biggest fan” and proved that after her injury.
“He carried me up and down stairs after my surgery. Both my parents were very frustrated by the injury, too,” the Centre senior said.
If her father watches her play, he seldom sits still — a problem he also had when she played high school sports.
“He is everywhere. I hear his voice and then I know where he is during games,” Chirico said. “But I absolutely would not be the player I am without him. He has been my biggest fan since I was a little baby. Our bond is special. I am a daddy’s girl. He is my best friend, along with my brother, Brayden, 11.”
Her dad proved his loyalty her high school senior season when she was crowned homecoming queen. He stayed on the football field at halftime to see the ceremony even though Paintsville was playing rival Hazard.
When Joe Chirico won the 2020 Class A state title at Paintsville, she was able to be there to watch because she was not traveling with the Centre basketball team due to her ACL injury.
“It was amazing being there and probably the only bright spot of my injury. That’s one thing he had been trying to accomplish his whole career. But one (championship) was not enough. He wants another one,” she said.
Her brother is an inspiration for her future as a physician’s assistant. He has spina bifida and she wants to make a difference helping others. She also has a sister who is a nurse.
“I like the versatility being a PA provides,” she said. “It’s a two-year program with no summer break. I will be applying to schools in February, so we’ll see what happens.”
She has worked at Clark Regional Medical Center in Winchester helping nurses bathe and shower patients along with other jobs.
“It was very enjoyable. I got to see the medical professional up close. It’s definitely not for everyone but I liked it,” she said.
She also likes having her brother come to her games with her parents.
“They even made the trip to Atlanta and Daytona to see us play. Whenever my parents come, he is right there cheering for me,” she said. “I am so thankful for all of them and play better when they are at my games.”
Chirico, who had a career-high 25 points against Sewanee earlier this season, is sure she will continue playing pickup basketball wherever her medical career takes her.
“Walking away after being part of basketball for 16 years is not going to be easy,” she said. “Hopefully our last game will be in the NCAA Tournament and I can leave saying I helped make the program here better than I found it.”
