This winter, all three Mporokoso siblings, Danyella, Kris, and Kaidan, are suiting up in green and gold, turning Waubonsie Valley basketball into a true family affair. This story is sponsored by Fair Oaks Ford and Fair Oaks Lincoln.
“Super exciting because I went to the Valley,and just for them to all be in high school at the same time is an awesome experience for them, for sure,” said their mom, Krista Brant.
Danyella is one of the most accomplished players in Waubonsie history, helping the Warriors to three regional titles, two sectionals, a super-sectional championship, and a fourth place finish at state in her sophomore season.
Kris is entering his second season on the varsity boys team as a junior after playing a key role for a Warriors team that won its second straight regional title last season. Meanwhile, this is just the second year of organized basketball for Kaidan.
“One thing I learned is that you need to stay focused, even though you’re going to have obstacles, you just need to stay focused and especially with people. You can’t really listen to them, and especially our determination,” said younger brother Kaidan Mporokoso.
“I’ve really got to see how much better they’ve all gotten. Kris was on the sophomore team his freshman year, and now he’s on the varsity team. For Kaidan, I’m not going to be here next year, but I know I’m going to be able to see him get so much better, and I have already seen him get so much better,” said Danyella.
Kaidan is new to the game but is adjusting quickly
While Kaidan came to the game of basketball later, Danyella and Kris began hooping in first grade. A strong sense of family pride comes from the Mporokoso siblings seeing each other grow, learn from each other, and succeed on the court.
The three Mporokoso’s have always been competitive, but supportive and willing to push each other to be better.
“Very competitive. That’s usually why we don’t play each other anymore. You get too competitive with each other. But yeah, we all love the sport. Just love playing it. Love what it brings to the family. We all watch our games with each other, help each other,” said Kris.
“I think we’re always there for each other, supporting each other. And then I think we always give each other a lot of like criticism, like in a nice way, but in a sibling way to help each other get better,” said Danyella.
“They are really supportive of each other. They watch film together, tell each other what they need to focus on, what they need to work on. Like if Kaidan needs to work on his shot I’ll talk to Danyelle and she’s like, yeah, maybe we can get in some shots so they work together,” said Krista Brant.
Strong support in the Mporokoso family tree
As the season unfolds, each sibling is focused on making their mark, yet with a watchful eye on each other.
Kaidan hopes to make a name for himself in his inaugural season, Kris is looking to lead the team after last year’s winning season as their go to scorer, and Danyella has reached the 2,000 career point mark and is chasing one last dream of state championship before heading to Illinois State next year.
“I want to see us go to the state and win the state, especially since there are so many seniors on the team. Then I just want to try to be the best player I can and improve in every way I can from last year. I just want to make sure I’m getting better, and I want to make sure I’m being more efficient,” said Danyella.
“I definitely had to take a big step because I was the only returner from varsity coming back. So I got to help, lead the team, and show them the way,” said Kris.
“I just want to do the best I can, but a couple of goals is to play with my brother, especially before he gets to leave Waubonsie,” said Kaidan.
Three siblings, three teams, one family, and the love of the game and school that will be a part of them long past the final buzzer.
For more prep sports stories and highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page.
