Girls gear up for hoop season

Superior, St. Regis have new coaches

When the girls' basketball season starts this weekend only Alberton will have the luxury of having been steered through a season by their coach, as both Superior and St. Regis will have new leaders at the helm when they start the season.

Alberton

Panther head coach Erik Johnson returns to coach his second season at Alberton with three of his starters from last year's 11-10 team: seniors Cleo Talbot and Rebecca Petersen and junior Jordan Marvin.

Johnson said Talbot and Petersen are the team captains and lead by example. "I never have to tell them to go harder or play with more intensity," he said. He said both the guards are excellent on defense with quick hands and feet. He said Marvin is a smart player and a great perimeter shooter, leading the team in three-pointers last year.

Johnson said that he also has players returning from last year that should be able to step up their game and play a big role in the Panthers' season. He said sophomore Lyndi Ishler is a natural scorer who will play a big part on the team. He said juniors Shauna Hendrickson and Nettie O'Rourke have improved a lot over the summer and will see more action this year.

Johnson said the Panthers' bench is stocked with talent and should be able to help the team this year. "We have 10 solid players that can get into the game," he said.

One thing the Panthers don't have is height. At 5-foot-7, Jenna Rausch is the tallest player on the team. Johnson said he plans to overcome the lack of height by utilizing the team's speed with an aggressive and opportunistic defense.

"We take pride in getting to the loose balls," Johnson said. He said the Panthers' press is able to create turnovers, which lead to easy transition points. He said that he wants the Panthers to be a fast-paced team that pushes the ball up the court, but smart enough to pull up and run the offense if an easy basket isn't available. Johnson said if his team can do that and limit their opponents to one shot per trip down the court, then he sees no reason why they can't go far.

"We definitely want to compete for the conference title and I think that is a reasonable goal," Johnson said. He said he would like the team to finish in the top two at the district tournament and then reset their goals from there. He said another goal of the team is to improve from week to week. "We never want to take a step backwards," he said.

Alberton will take their first step at the Drummond Tournament Dec. 7-8.

Superior

Most people would view taking over a team that hasn't won a game in two season as your first head coaching experience as a tough job, but for the Superior head coach it's been a breeze.

"It's real easy because all these girls want it so bad. They push so hard at practice," said Jeff Schultz. Schultz, who graduated from Superior in 2003, said the team has actually asked him to run them harder at practice, so they'll be ready for the season.

Schultz has been so impressed with the team that he said the hardest part of his job will be deciding what 10 players will dress for varsity. He said what has impressed him the most is that all the girls can handle the ball. "They're super athletic. Every girl can run and handle the ball," he said.

Schultz said that the ball-handling skills of his team will fit in perfectly in his offensive scheme. He said he plans to use a free-flowing offense where all the girls touch the ball and can be rotated from position to position. "Everybody's going to have their hands on the ball," he said.

Another thing Superior has is speed, and Schultz plans to utilize it in a "run and gun" style of play. "We're going to run people off the court," Schultz said. He said scoring shouldn't be a problem for this team. "We're going to put points up this year," he said.

Schultz said he doesn't view only having three seniors on the team as a problem. "We're pretty young, but we're looking real good," he said. One of the seniors is Nicole Lucier, the leading scorer on last year's team. Schultz said that Lucier is a great leader who can handle the ball with both hands and is a great shot. "When she gets out in the open she'll be able to knock it down," he said.

Also returning from last year's team are Shannon Frederick, Koltan Plouffe and Caitlin Bailey.

Schultz said Frederick's defense and rebounding were excellent last year and this year she's going to become an offensive threat. "She's so powerful down low, yet quick," he said. "She's going to be a great post player," he said. Schultz said that Bailey can really handle the ball and knows how to run an offense. He said Plouffe is very quick and a great defensive player who'll be able to get "steal after steal."

Schultz said as a coach he emphasizes teamwork and an us versus them attitude. He said nobody thinks Superior will be good except his team. "You can't win unless the players believe they can win. There's no doubt this season all of us believe we'll get a win. It's not if, it's when," he said. Superior will get its first chance of victory at Florence Dec. 7 and then in Victor Dec. 8.

St. Regis

Young and inexperienced were the words that St. Regis coach Don Almquist used to describe his team. He said the team only has two seniors on the team compared to three freshmen and four sophomores.

In his first year as head coach, Almquist said he would be relying on the two seniors - Ryanne Burklund and Tailor Davis - to help him. "Both of them are very good players and work real hard. I'm hoping they'll also be very good leaders on the court," he said.

Almquist said that, as a guard, Burklund is like a general on the court who can direct her teammates and knows how to get the most from them. He said that Burklund is good with the ball and passing, but also knows how to score. Even with all of her skills, it's Burklund's hustle that impresses Almquist the most. He said she gives it all she can every play and never quits.

Almquist said that he never has to worry about Davis doing what she is told. He said she always listens and is eager to learn. He said that Davis hustles on defense and is not only able to stop the other team, but also create turnovers. He said she is also a threat on offense and has a knack for finding the bottom of the basket when she gets inside of the paint.

Almquist said he will also be counting on sophomore Heather Pruitt to lead the team. He said Pruitt started for the team last year and proved she can score. He said wherever Pruitt is on the court, she is a threat. He said she can knock down the outside shot, is fast enough to drive to the basket, and is strong enough to post-up. Brianna Managhan, Tyler Cheeseman and Morgan Hill will also play a big role for St. Regis this season, according to Almquist.

Just like in other sports at St. Regis, lack of players is going to hurt the team, said Almquist. He said there aren't enough players to have a junior varsity team, which is unfortunate because, with young players, the experience is invaluable. While not a lot of players turned out for the team, Almquist couldn't be happier with the players he has. "The people that turnout are the people that want to play. We're excited to have them and all of them have been working hard," he said.

Working hard is the main thing Almquist stresses as coach, and so far he has been impressed. "They've really been working hard for me and I'm thrilled about that, but that needs to carry over to offense and defense," he said. Almquist will get his first chance to see if it carried over this weekend as St. Regis will host the Tiger Tail Tournament Dec. 7-8. The Tigers will take on Mullan Friday at 5:30 p.m.