Offseason Progress Key for Wawasee GBB
November 8, 2019 at 10:45 p.m.
Offseason Progress Key for Wawasee GBB
By Alaister McFarren-
“Our team is determined to show a lot of growth this year,” he said. “We expect to compete in every game and improve our win total significantly.”
After going 4-18 last season, Carpenter believes that the offseason dedication shown by the players, particularly some of the team’s young core, will pay major dividends this season.
“Our players put a lot of time in during the off-season playing the game and improving their skills,” Carpenter said. “We will be sitting down this coming week to set some specific game goals for this season, but (the girls) have made their intent clear: They expect to compete for a sectional championship.”
Returning letter winners for Wawasee are Hannah Lancaster, Kennedy White, Jada Carter and Danielle Jenkins. Last season, each was among the team’s top players statistically with Lancaster leading the team in assists, Carter and Jenkins being the team’s respective second- and third-leading scorers and White being the second-leading rebounder.
Carpenter expects each of these returners to take statistical steps forward in all categories this season.
Wawasee also looks to feature a set of young players prominently in their rotation. Sophomore Emily Haines, despite missing most of last year with an ACL injury, will be a full-time varsity player this season. Sophomore Becca Smith and junior Ella Beezley will also see significant minutes, and junior Abby Steiner will transition from swinging between JV and varsity into a full-time varsity guard position.
As for leadership, Carpenter stated, “The expectation is always that seniors will take on at least some of the leadership roles. We have yet to name or announce this year’s captains, but expect it to be a nice mix of senior and underclassmen leadership.”
A key component for Wawasee’s success this season will be versatility.
“We expect to be at least eight deep in a normal rotation and to be very interchangeable position-wise,” Carpenter said. “Shooting has been a weakness in past seasons, but the team has worked hard and long at changing that into what we hope to be a strength this season.”
This season, Carpenter aims to improve in specific areas that the team struggled with last year, namely on-the-ball defensive pressure and a lack of rebounding stemming from lack of size.
“We do not have top-end size this season, but we do have the ability to put three to four girls on the floor at any given time that stand anywhere from five-foot-eight to five-foot-ten,” he said. “If we can close the gap with our defensive quickness, anticipation and rebounding positioning, we will be able to offset the lack of size.”
Both the team and the coach are determined to show the Wawasee fan base how much they have developed during the offseason.
“The players love to play in front of a packed house and pull energy from the crowd,” said Carpenter. “Our skills and knowledge have improved, but more importantly our desire and competitiveness should show through in our play and energy this season.”
“Our team is determined to show a lot of growth this year,” he said. “We expect to compete in every game and improve our win total significantly.”
After going 4-18 last season, Carpenter believes that the offseason dedication shown by the players, particularly some of the team’s young core, will pay major dividends this season.
“Our players put a lot of time in during the off-season playing the game and improving their skills,” Carpenter said. “We will be sitting down this coming week to set some specific game goals for this season, but (the girls) have made their intent clear: They expect to compete for a sectional championship.”
Returning letter winners for Wawasee are Hannah Lancaster, Kennedy White, Jada Carter and Danielle Jenkins. Last season, each was among the team’s top players statistically with Lancaster leading the team in assists, Carter and Jenkins being the team’s respective second- and third-leading scorers and White being the second-leading rebounder.
Carpenter expects each of these returners to take statistical steps forward in all categories this season.
Wawasee also looks to feature a set of young players prominently in their rotation. Sophomore Emily Haines, despite missing most of last year with an ACL injury, will be a full-time varsity player this season. Sophomore Becca Smith and junior Ella Beezley will also see significant minutes, and junior Abby Steiner will transition from swinging between JV and varsity into a full-time varsity guard position.
As for leadership, Carpenter stated, “The expectation is always that seniors will take on at least some of the leadership roles. We have yet to name or announce this year’s captains, but expect it to be a nice mix of senior and underclassmen leadership.”
A key component for Wawasee’s success this season will be versatility.
“We expect to be at least eight deep in a normal rotation and to be very interchangeable position-wise,” Carpenter said. “Shooting has been a weakness in past seasons, but the team has worked hard and long at changing that into what we hope to be a strength this season.”
This season, Carpenter aims to improve in specific areas that the team struggled with last year, namely on-the-ball defensive pressure and a lack of rebounding stemming from lack of size.
“We do not have top-end size this season, but we do have the ability to put three to four girls on the floor at any given time that stand anywhere from five-foot-eight to five-foot-ten,” he said. “If we can close the gap with our defensive quickness, anticipation and rebounding positioning, we will be able to offset the lack of size.”
Both the team and the coach are determined to show the Wawasee fan base how much they have developed during the offseason.
“The players love to play in front of a packed house and pull energy from the crowd,” said Carpenter. “Our skills and knowledge have improved, but more importantly our desire and competitiveness should show through in our play and energy this season.”
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092