New Faces To Lead Whitko Lady Wildcats
November 2, 2017 at 4:18 p.m.
New Faces To Lead Whitko Lady Wildcats
By Mark [email protected]
But that doesn’t mean the cupboard is bare in South Whitley for new coach Rick Bragg.
“We’ve got some athletes, so that’s the good news,” he said. “I’ve always worked on the premise that if you have some athletes, you can give them a fundamental skill, and that’s what we’re working on right now.
“I saw really good desire, I saw an understanding that we’re young and inexperienced. We understand the legacy and reputation that’s been passed down to them. We’ll do the best we can to uphold that.
“We’ll have some ups and downs, and we’ll struggle early until we find an identity. We’ve got some kids who are pretty good players, but they’ve never been in the limelight. They’ve always been in a role-player situation. That’s a lot different, being expected to shoot and score as opposed to passing the ball to one of a couple of 1,000-point scorers like we had last season.”
Among the returnees is Emalee Duggins and Ellie Snep, juniors who played extensively as sophomores on a team that won a school-record 21 games. Duggins will play in the first game Friday at Fort Wayne North, but will then have a medical procedure that will sideline her for 6-8 weeks.
“Emalee is really the heart and soul of our team, with her athletic ability and competitive nature,” Bragg said. “I sat down with her and Ellie and said ‘look, you two got to the softball semistate championship game. Share that success, share that experience with the younger players so they understand that if you want to be successful, you’ve got to work at it.’”
Sarah Hewitt, Kayla Schipper and Anna Ousley are former junior varsity players who will have an opportunity to shine.
“Sarah is going to be our two guard. She’s a really good shooter, and she will help us a great deal when teams zone us. She’s got a really nice three-point shot,” said Bragg. “But like everybody else, she’s not used to the responsibility of being a scorer.
“Kayla will be our No. 4, one of our post players. She’s very athletic, and she and Anna Ousley will be players off our JV team that our followers will be pleasantly surprised to see how skilled they are.
“Taylor Reiff has worked all summer and fall on her jump shot, and she’ll be one of our best defenders. She’ll have to guard people taller than her, but she’s got the athletic ability to be able to that.
“Anna is our only senior with basketball experience, and as one of our captains, and much like Sarah, she’s got a really good three-point shot. She takes the ball to the basket really well, and gained confidence in her offensive abilities.”
So while the expectations for the Lady Wildcats aren’t nearly as high as in recent seasons, it doesn’t mean the program is in decline.
“We’re all in agreement that we won’t have excuses. Our goal is to be playing our best basketball in late January and maybe slip under the radar,” Bragg said. “Obviously we won’t be favored to win the sectional like we’ve been the last couple of seasons. We’ll let some other schools wear the target and see how they handle the responsibility. “
After the opener Friday night, the Lady Wildcats play Tuesday at Central Noble. The home opener will be Nov. 10 against Columbia City.
But that doesn’t mean the cupboard is bare in South Whitley for new coach Rick Bragg.
“We’ve got some athletes, so that’s the good news,” he said. “I’ve always worked on the premise that if you have some athletes, you can give them a fundamental skill, and that’s what we’re working on right now.
“I saw really good desire, I saw an understanding that we’re young and inexperienced. We understand the legacy and reputation that’s been passed down to them. We’ll do the best we can to uphold that.
“We’ll have some ups and downs, and we’ll struggle early until we find an identity. We’ve got some kids who are pretty good players, but they’ve never been in the limelight. They’ve always been in a role-player situation. That’s a lot different, being expected to shoot and score as opposed to passing the ball to one of a couple of 1,000-point scorers like we had last season.”
Among the returnees is Emalee Duggins and Ellie Snep, juniors who played extensively as sophomores on a team that won a school-record 21 games. Duggins will play in the first game Friday at Fort Wayne North, but will then have a medical procedure that will sideline her for 6-8 weeks.
“Emalee is really the heart and soul of our team, with her athletic ability and competitive nature,” Bragg said. “I sat down with her and Ellie and said ‘look, you two got to the softball semistate championship game. Share that success, share that experience with the younger players so they understand that if you want to be successful, you’ve got to work at it.’”
Sarah Hewitt, Kayla Schipper and Anna Ousley are former junior varsity players who will have an opportunity to shine.
“Sarah is going to be our two guard. She’s a really good shooter, and she will help us a great deal when teams zone us. She’s got a really nice three-point shot,” said Bragg. “But like everybody else, she’s not used to the responsibility of being a scorer.
“Kayla will be our No. 4, one of our post players. She’s very athletic, and she and Anna Ousley will be players off our JV team that our followers will be pleasantly surprised to see how skilled they are.
“Taylor Reiff has worked all summer and fall on her jump shot, and she’ll be one of our best defenders. She’ll have to guard people taller than her, but she’s got the athletic ability to be able to that.
“Anna is our only senior with basketball experience, and as one of our captains, and much like Sarah, she’s got a really good three-point shot. She takes the ball to the basket really well, and gained confidence in her offensive abilities.”
So while the expectations for the Lady Wildcats aren’t nearly as high as in recent seasons, it doesn’t mean the program is in decline.
“We’re all in agreement that we won’t have excuses. Our goal is to be playing our best basketball in late January and maybe slip under the radar,” Bragg said. “Obviously we won’t be favored to win the sectional like we’ve been the last couple of seasons. We’ll let some other schools wear the target and see how they handle the responsibility. “
After the opener Friday night, the Lady Wildcats play Tuesday at Central Noble. The home opener will be Nov. 10 against Columbia City.
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