Head coach: Steve Poindexter (12th season)
Last season: 15-11, lost in region quarterfinals
Key players lost: Maiya Reed, Ciara Spence
Key players returning: Brezia Cooper, Abby Haun, Hannah Callahan
It’s always challenging when a team loses its leading scorer to graduation.
When that person was also your primary ball handler, it can make things even more difficult.
Maiya Reed, who graduated last spring, averaged 16 points per game last year, which ranked top five in the Shelby-Metro area, and she brought the ball up court basically every possession.
Three starters – Brezia Cooper, Abby Haun and Hannah Callahan – are back, but none of them are natural point guards.
“None of the three returning starters handled the ball much,” said head coach Steve Poindexter. “Maiya was probably our best defender last year, too. This is not a situation where we’re going to replace her. Our coaching staff just has to be patient with this group.”
Cooper, a junior, has seen regular playing time since she was a freshman and was the team’s second-leading scorer last season. She can knock down the 3-point shot and get inside to score. Haun, a junior, and Callahan, a sophomore, have been role players who will get more opportunities this season.
Harlee Windsor transferred to Munford this season and Shea Gooden is a junior who didn’t play last season. Sklyer Holland and Hannah Burton, both freshmen, are expected to have a chance to be in the regular rotation.
“We’ve got several players who are adjusting to varsity basketball,” Poindexter said. “It could be a roller coaster ride sometimes, but the girls are working really hard. That’s not always the case and I do recognize and appreciate that.”
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