Where Are They Now?... Sierra Pryor

By Wyatt Hardy

Sullivan basketball star Sierra Pryor was an incredible basketball player from the class of 2014 who gave it her all in the game’s biggest moments and led her team to success. She has scored 1,000 points in her high school career, ranking second all-time in career assists, ninth in career three-pointers, ninth in scoring and 15th in career rebounds. Pryor was also phenomenal in softball, gaining all-conference and all-district honors.

But her purpose for playing was not for breaking records. She loved guiding her teammates to success and forming life-lasting bonds with them. Pryor claims that, “Developing friendships was easy. Especially when you’re put in a room full of people that share the same interests as you.”

Because of her love for playing on a team, colleges and universities gave her plenty of scholarships. One that stood out from all of them was a full-ride to the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Yet Pryor was unsure if playing in college was the right option. Then her basketball coach Jason Merkel told her that the court was where she needed to be. Her mom also pushed her to keep following her dreams.

Pryor accepted the full-ride offer and played basketball as a guard for the Tritons. But she wasn’t a huge fan of living in St. Louis and missed  small-town life. “UMSL was a learning experience and put into perspective what in life was important to me. Basketball was a huge part of my life and I loved it dearly, but I needed a good balance of family time & basketball.”

Before her sophomore year, Pryor realized she needed a change, but  still wanted to pursue her love for basketball. She transferred to Stephens College and never looked back. “[It] was much more family oriented. My coach, Ray Fron, at Stephens truly cared about you as a person & your education outside [of sports].” She was extremely happy to be playing on a team with other “farm girls’’ like her. “I boarded one of my horses in Columbia with me when I was in school there and would go ride after practices. I truly lived my dream!” Also, she put up near 1,000 points and helped bring an overlooked program back into the spotlight.

She graduated in 2018 from the college with a BS degree in Strategic Communications and Integrated Marketing. Pryor returned to Sullivan, and has been employed with Johanning Real Estate since January 2018. She also married her high school sweetheart, Kyle Arnold in October 2022. Now very weekend, she is found having a great time at rodeos. Her motto is to not be afraid of change because, “It often leads to something greater.” Sierra Pryor has been living her dreams because she was never afraid to try new opportunities.