Sydney Mains receives the Miss Basketball award from Mike Reed, president of the TSSAA Board of Control. (ActionPixTN)
Knoxville Catholic High School senior standout Sydney Mains was named the TSSAA Miss Basketball winner for Division II-AA on March 12 in an awards ceremony at Middle Tennessee State University.
The Florida Atlantic signee has amassed numerous accolades with the Lady Irish, who won their second straight state championship March 2.
Sydney has scored 2,325 points in four seasons at KCHS and has recorded 356 3-pointers, 826 rebounds, 236 assists, 331 steals, and 112 blocks. She is sixth all-time in Tennessee girls high school basketball for made 3-pointers and overall scoring. She is the all-time leading scorer in basketball at Knoxville Catholic for both boys and girls.
She is a three-time Miss Basketball finalist. Sydney helped lead the Lady Irish to four state-tournament appearances and has made the all-state tournament team three times. She is a two-time state tourney MVP and three-time regional player of the year. She has made the Tennessee Sports Writers Association all-state team four times, and is a three-time Knoxville News Sentinel PrepXtra first-teamer and three-time 5Star Preps player of the year, with this year’s PrepXtra and 5Star Preps honors not announced as of press time.
Sydney was the 2022 MVP of the Heritage Christmas Tournament in Maryville, the 2023 MVP of the Andrew Johnson Ladies Classic in Greeneville, and the 2023 MVP of the Doc Maples Holiday Hoops Tournament in Bristol.
Her accomplishments came in only 3 1/2 years because of her sitting out the first two months of her junior year while rehabbing from a major knee injury. Sydney rehabbed from anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery as well as partially torn posterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in only six months. Knoxville Catholic trainer Allison Maurer brought in her mentor, Jenny Moshak, former director of sports medicine for Pat Summitt and the Lady Vols, to help guide Sydney through rehab.
Sydney and KCHS teammate Amaya Redd were recently named to the Basketball Coaches Association of Tennessee all-state girls team for Division II-AA, and Lady Irish head coach Travis Mains—Sydney’s father—received the association’s coach of the year award.
