As the Lady Cats season is off to a good start, there is still room for improvement behind their young roster. The Lady Cats are currently 4-4 and their next game is against Stockton. Although they have three seniors, there is a wide variety of sophomores and freshmen who play as well. The young players on the Lady Cats are contributing and are leading to wins.
“We have lots of young talent that is stepping up in a big way. Our seniors this year are awesome leaders and I hope that as the younger ones grow up, they remember how they were treated as underclassmen and do the same when they take over. The young girls need to continue to compete and be getting experience for the years to come,” head coach Matt Henderson said.
Last season, the Lady Cats had a small group of players and almost all of them had to play JV. They feel accomplished stepping up into varsity roles.
“Playing varsity is such an honor. I went from playing strictly JV freshman year to playing varsity with a coach who saw potential in a tall girl. He pushed me to my best ability and still does. I wouldn’t be playing varsity ball with Coach Henderson making me the player I am!” senior forward Grace Drake said.
Not only do the players find the game fun, but also look forward to building bonds with teammates off the court. “My favorite part about basketball is probably having the challenges to push myself to be the best I can be, along with being able to build bonds with coaches and teammates,” sophomore Guard Tanna Howe said.
High school basketball can be very different from middle school basketball. The Lady Cats currently have four freshmen who play varsity for the team.
“Playing on varsity this year is a lot different. It’s quicker and more competitive, so I needed to adjust to it, but I like playing on varsity because of that,” freshman guard Sarah Miller said.
Each year, the team is different, but this season the Lady Cats are off to one of their best starts in years. Coach Henderson says this team is coming together.
“Team… A group of people with different skills and different tasks, who work together on a common project… (Washington University). It takes several pieces to make something whole … to complete the project. This year we have all the pieces, just need to put the puzzle together. When the ladies do their part, and the pieces get put into place, the puzzle will look good!” Henderson said.
Basketball can be a challenging sport, most of them have played together at some point but it’s a little different when most of them are freshman and sophmores playing against older girls. “Playing varsity basketball was a harder adjustment my freshmen year. You’re usually only 14 years old playing against 18 year olds. It’s just a faster pace game, and takes a lot mentally to adjust to. You have to enjoy and love the sport,” Howe said.
