Wawasee Girls Eager To Get Season Started
December 3, 2020 at 10:28 p.m.
Wawasee Girls Eager To Get Season Started
By Steve Krah-
“We feel pretty good about where we’re at,” says fifth-year coach Matt Carpenter, who counts five of his seven core varsity players with two full years of varsity experience. “We were pretty young over the past few years.”
Six letterwinners return from a team that went 8-15 overall and 1-6 in the Northern Lakes Conference in 2019-20 — 5-foot-5 senior Tate Cowan, 5-5 senior Danielle Jenkins, 5-9 junior Jada Carter, 5-8 junior Emily Haines, 5-10 junior Becca Smith and 5-9 junior Kennedy White.
Lindsay Doss, a 5-10 junior, is also part of the varsity mix while 5-5 sophomore Addy Trimble, 5-9 freshman Abbi Burleson and 5-3 freshman Kadence Shepherd will likely start the campaign splitting time between varsity and junior varsity.
Haines (8.0 points per game), Carter (6.8), Jenkins (5.9), White (5.6) and Smith (4.2) are the top returning scorers.
“Every single one of them led us in scoring for a game last year,” says Carpenter. “We should have pretty good balanced scoring.”
Smith (4.9), White (4.6) and Haines (4.4) lead the way in returning rebounders.
Carter (27) and Haines (22) pace the returning 3-point makers.
“We don’t want to live and die with the 3-point shot,” says Carpenter. “We we want to attack the paint and establish an inside game first.”
Carpenter says he’d like to see his team collect points in transition by attacking the basket with dribble penetration.
“You’d like to get off as many shots in the paint as you can,” says Carpenter.
Smith and Doss are considered posts while the rest are guards.
“We do not have a primary point guard,” says Carpenter. “The majority of girls can take it and go.”
Wawasee will throw various looks at teams — four-out and one-in, three-out and two-in and other combinations.
What about when the opponent has the basketball?
“Defensively, we’ve put a lot of work in,” says Carpenter. “We’ve done breakdown drills and spent a lot of time on angles, close-outs and rebounds. Then it depends on our communication.
“We’re going to have to defend a whole lot better than we did last year. That’s something you can do even if you’re not shooting well.
“We’re hoping to put enough ball pressure on people that they can’t pick us apart on the back end.”
It was an atypical spring and summer. The Warriors did not get to go to team camp. There were Zoom meetings for classroom sessions and for players to see one another.
“That’s one of the strengths of our program — the girls are pretty tight,” says Carpenter. “They look out for each other. They care about each other.
“That culture is important to us.”
Missing the chance to play in the summer means the eight incoming freshmen in the program did not get to acclimate to high school basketball prior to the season.
The first several games have been postponed. The Warriors hope to get going against Concord at the Hardwood Teepee on Nov. 24 — if not sooner. The schedule and who is available to practice seems to change daily.
“You definitely have to be flexible,” says Carpenter. “Everyday’s a new day.”
Carpenter’s assistant coaches are Dina Coverstone and Jennifer Holsclaw.
“We feel pretty good about where we’re at,” says fifth-year coach Matt Carpenter, who counts five of his seven core varsity players with two full years of varsity experience. “We were pretty young over the past few years.”
Six letterwinners return from a team that went 8-15 overall and 1-6 in the Northern Lakes Conference in 2019-20 — 5-foot-5 senior Tate Cowan, 5-5 senior Danielle Jenkins, 5-9 junior Jada Carter, 5-8 junior Emily Haines, 5-10 junior Becca Smith and 5-9 junior Kennedy White.
Lindsay Doss, a 5-10 junior, is also part of the varsity mix while 5-5 sophomore Addy Trimble, 5-9 freshman Abbi Burleson and 5-3 freshman Kadence Shepherd will likely start the campaign splitting time between varsity and junior varsity.
Haines (8.0 points per game), Carter (6.8), Jenkins (5.9), White (5.6) and Smith (4.2) are the top returning scorers.
“Every single one of them led us in scoring for a game last year,” says Carpenter. “We should have pretty good balanced scoring.”
Smith (4.9), White (4.6) and Haines (4.4) lead the way in returning rebounders.
Carter (27) and Haines (22) pace the returning 3-point makers.
“We don’t want to live and die with the 3-point shot,” says Carpenter. “We we want to attack the paint and establish an inside game first.”
Carpenter says he’d like to see his team collect points in transition by attacking the basket with dribble penetration.
“You’d like to get off as many shots in the paint as you can,” says Carpenter.
Smith and Doss are considered posts while the rest are guards.
“We do not have a primary point guard,” says Carpenter. “The majority of girls can take it and go.”
Wawasee will throw various looks at teams — four-out and one-in, three-out and two-in and other combinations.
What about when the opponent has the basketball?
“Defensively, we’ve put a lot of work in,” says Carpenter. “We’ve done breakdown drills and spent a lot of time on angles, close-outs and rebounds. Then it depends on our communication.
“We’re going to have to defend a whole lot better than we did last year. That’s something you can do even if you’re not shooting well.
“We’re hoping to put enough ball pressure on people that they can’t pick us apart on the back end.”
It was an atypical spring and summer. The Warriors did not get to go to team camp. There were Zoom meetings for classroom sessions and for players to see one another.
“That’s one of the strengths of our program — the girls are pretty tight,” says Carpenter. “They look out for each other. They care about each other.
“That culture is important to us.”
Missing the chance to play in the summer means the eight incoming freshmen in the program did not get to acclimate to high school basketball prior to the season.
The first several games have been postponed. The Warriors hope to get going against Concord at the Hardwood Teepee on Nov. 24 — if not sooner. The schedule and who is available to practice seems to change daily.
“You definitely have to be flexible,” says Carpenter. “Everyday’s a new day.”
Carpenter’s assistant coaches are Dina Coverstone and Jennifer Holsclaw.
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