|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tuesday, November 17, 2009 9:27 AM CST
Lady Wave has two starters returning
BY BRIAN NIELSEN, Sports Editor
bnielsen@jg-tc.com
MATTOON -- Jason Morgan understood he had to wait through Mattoon’s volleyball season that lasted into a sectional final.
In fact, the Mattoon girls’ basketball coach was even more understanding than his volleyball/basketball players wanted that day after the Lady Green Wave’s first regional volleyball championship season since 1995 ended.
“I gave them the option of that day off,” Morgan said of basketball practice. “I wasn’t expecting them to be there because I know they were emotionally and physically drained. I was surprised they all showed up.”
That should be one good sign for a Lady Green Wave basketball program without a lot of scoring or size returning and without much depth at the freshman level entering tonight’s season opener at Charleston.
Mattoon does have two returning starters — senior forward Kayla Patrem and sophomore guard Paige Roytek — back from a 16-12 team that took third in the Big 12 Conference at 9-4.
Graduating from that team were All-Big 12 Conference center Kenzie Floyd, now playing at Illinois Wesleyan, Sara Bradley, Marianne Dust and Michelle Ballinger. Plus, senior Reynae Hutchinson, who would have been Mattoon’s top returning scorer with last season’s 8.9 average, decided not to play basketball this season as she looks to play college volleyball as well as get ready for the softball season.
Patrem, one of the volleyball players who missed most of the first week of basketball practice, averaged 4.6 points per game last basketball season. Now she is looking to move into a more prominent role to help fill the void of Floyd, who averaged 11.4 points and 8.5 rebounds.
“Kayla offensively has got to be someone who puts the ball in the basket,” Morgan said. “She has to control the boards as well. We’re going to have to rebound as a team. Even last year there were games she dominated. Rebounding is a mentality and I think she’s definitely capable of crashing the boards for us.”
Roytek brings the team’s top returning scoring average of 4.9 points when she was the point guard as a sophomore.
“She’s going to have to take care of the basketball,” Morgan said. “Obviously she’s gotten the experience as a point guard at a young age. I think that experience is going to help her.”
Seven other Lady Wave players scored at least one point in a varsity game in addition to playing junior varsity ball last year.
Senior guard Michelle Glenn leads that contingent with her 2.9 scoring average from last season with Hayley Tucker, Whitney Godden, Sami Harris and Ashley Lasco as others who figure to see playing time in the backcourt.”
Juniors Bre Ana Sanders, Shannon Lowry and Holli Gromelski are ready to help with the inside game.
“It’s going to be a year when kids are going to get an opportunity and get some time,” Morgan said. “I’m going to give them a look and we’ll evaluate from there.”
Entering his second season as the varsity coach after five years in Mattoon’s middle school program, Morgan has a pretty good idea of how his team needs to play.
“We’re definitely going to try and push the ball up the floor being so guard heavy,” he said.
“We’re going to have to get points from a lot of different people maybe in transition, maybe at the free-throw line. When I look at this group, I think we’ll continue to get better.”
The improvement actually began the past summer.
While this season’s turnout was just 22 girls and just five freshmen putting that schedule in question, many of them participated in summer games.
“We probably played 14, 15 games,” Morgan said. “It was a great experience. The first time we’ve done something like that for a while.”
Contact Brian Nielsen at bnielsen@jg-tc.com or 238-6856.
Add your comments
Not already registered?
Then click Here.
Comment policy:
JG-TC.com encourages readers to engage in civil conversation with their neighbors. Comments that are submitted are not posted to the site immediately. They go into a queue to be moderated and may take several hours to be reviewed. Comments posted on Saturday may not be reviewed until Sunday afternoon.
In order to keep the page a set width, long lines (mostly long links) will be chopped. Try putting spaces in your links or consider using tinyurl.com to make a smaller link that you can include.
We will never edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to remove comments that violate our code of conduct.
No comment may contain:
* Potentially libelous statements; such as accusing somebody of a crime, defamation of character, or statements that can harm somebody's reputation.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults, threats, harassment or inciting violence.
* Commercial product promotions.
If you have any questions, please contact our moderator.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
