Head coach: Steve Poindexter (10th season)
Last season: 9-17, lost to Liberty in district tournament play-in game
Starters lost: 3
Starters returning: 2
Players to watch: G Maiya Reed, G Mary Richardson, G Ciara Spence, G Brezia Cooper, G Gabby Lincoln, G Abby Hawn
The Lady Cougar program had some great seasons over the last nine years under head coach Steve Poindexter with five district titles, two region championships and three sectional appearances.
Last season was not one of those seasons as a very young squad took its lumps.
With that said, Poindexter feels like the group he has this year has the potential to get the program back to where most people expect it to be.
“I don’t think anybody was happy with the way things went last year,” he said. “This group is committed to making sure last year was not what we are about.”
Junior point guard Maiya Reed, the team’s top returning scorer, will lead the way.
“I think she’s one of the top guards in the district and probably the region,” Poindexter said. “She’s a great ball-handler and brings a lot of energy. She’s really worked hard on her shot.”
Senior guard Mary Richardson is the team’s other returning starter and brings a lot of experience to the lineup. Ciara Spence, a junior guard, came off the bench last season and is projected to play a much larger role this season.
The rest of regular rotation will be rounded out by freshmen guards Brezia Cooper, Gabby Lincoln and Abby Hawn, all three of whom led Munford Middle to a district title last season. Cooper, in particular, is expected to make her presence felt immediately.
Camryn Bruce was the only senior who graduated from last year’s team. This year’s version of the Lady Cougars will young again, but using history as a guide, it seems unlikely Munford will finish with single-digit wins for a second straight season.
“Everybody had really good offseasons,” Poindexter said. “There’s no doubt this team is ahead of where we were last year.”
