MITCHELL, SD (Mitchell Now) — Two basketball standouts with deep roots in the Mitchell area are continuing to make their mark at South Dakota State University, connecting generations of local talent through their roles on the Jackrabbits women’s basketball team.
Mount Vernon native Emilee Fox enters her junior season at SDSU following an impressive sophomore campaign. The 5-foot-8 guard started all 27 games in which she appeared during the 2025-26 season, averaging 8.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.
According to SDSU Athletics, Fox led the nation in 3-point shooting percentage at 49.1%. She also earned All-Summit League honorable mention recognition and scored a career-high 26 points against Kansas City.
Before joining the Jackrabbits, Fox built an outstanding high school career at Mount Vernon, graduating as the school’s all-time leading scorer. A five-time all-state selection, she helped the Titans reach two state tournaments and was a finalist for South Dakota Miss Basketball during her senior year.
Fox’s basketball journey also carries a special connection to another familiar name in Mitchell-area sports: former Mitchell Kernel standout Macy Miller, now known as Macy Stanage.
A Mitchell native and Mitchell High School graduate, Stanage established herself as one of the greatest players in SDSU women’s basketball history. She finished her collegiate career with 2,355 points, setting both school and Summit League records. A two-time Summit League Player of the Year, she helped lead the Jackrabbits to their first NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance in 2019 before being selected in the third round of the WNBA draft by the Seattle Storm.
Following a professional basketball season in Spain, Stanage began her coaching career. She served as a graduate assistant at SDSU during the 2020-21 season before spending three seasons as an assistant coach at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. She returned to SDSU as an assistant coach ahead of the 2024-25 season.
Now, Stanage is helping develop the next generation of Jackrabbit players, including Fox. Her coaching responsibilities include working with SDSU’s perimeter players, teaching team offense and defense, and assisting with recruiting.
For Fox, the opportunity to play for the same program where Stanage became a household name brings a personal connection to her basketball career.
In an October interview with Dakota News Now, Fox reflected on growing up watching SDSU basketball and admiring players such as Miller. She also expressed pride in representing Mount Vernon and showing young athletes from smaller communities what they can accomplish through hard work and dedication.
The connection highlights the basketball tradition shared by Mitchell and its surrounding communities. From Stanage’s record-setting career as a Mitchell Kernel to Fox’s success at Mount Vernon and SDSU, both women have carried their hometown roots onto a larger stage.
With Stanage helping guide the program from the sidelines and Fox preparing for another season on the court, the Mitchell area continues to have a strong presence in Jackrabbit women’s basketball.
South Dakota State opens its 2026-27 season with an exhibition game against St. Cloud State on Wednesday, Oct. 28, before hosting Creighton in its regular-season opener Monday, Nov. 2. Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m. at First Bank & Trust Arena in Brookings.
For basketball fans in Mitchell, Mount Vernon and the surrounding communities, the upcoming season offers another opportunity to follow two familiar names representing their hometowns at the Division I level.