If Aliyah Durant had followed a traditional academic course, she could be starring at the seventh-grade level.
Instead, the 13-year-old freshman is going up against 17- and 18-year-olds as a varsity basketball player for Topeka West's girls after starting school early and skipping the first grade.
Are you overwhelmed at times out here?
I'm not really overwhelmed because I've been playing AAU ball, which really prepared me for this. Playing against older people hasn't really been a big deal. I'm really not as developed as some of them out here, so I've got to do a lot more practicing than some of them.
How do the other players treat you? Do they treat you kind of like a little sister?
They like to laugh at me a lot because, being that I'm younger, I'm not as mature as them, so I'm always being goofy in practice and stuff. But it's really fun.
Do you ever regret the decision to move up so quickly, academically or athletically?
No, not at all. I think it's actually been more helpful to me in getting smarter education-wise and basketball-wise. It's helped me grow as a person, too.
Are you a straight-A student?
No, I think I have five As and three Bs, but I got Bs in my honors classes.
Why did you skip grades and accelerate your progress?
You know how sometimes a teacher makes little mistakes while they're speaking? Well I was in first grade — maybe two weeks in — and I would be correcting my teacher. The teacher thought I could take this test to see if I could go on to the second grade. I took the test, and they said I passed it with flying colors, and I just went on from there.
Who made the final decision?
It was a decision for my mom to make, and I had a little bit to say in it because I had to leave my best friends behind.
Do you ever think about the fact that you could really be tearing up the competition at the seventh-grade level?
I don't like to think about it, but I do all the time. It's not very good to think like that when I'm out there playing because it wouldn't help me any if I played against people who weren't as good as me.
What's been your highlight so far?
I got to block a senior's shot last game.