By Chris Parker
Waynesville girls basketball won just five games last year, but expect that number to grow this year. The Lady Tigers had no seniors on last year’s roster, so a year of growth for the entire roster should lead to more wins.
“They all have a year of varsity experience and another year in our system,” Waynesville head coach Brittany Matlock said.
Leading that group is Class 5 All-State selection Naudia Evans. The senior averaged 22.3 points per game last year to account for 56.7% of Waynesville’s total points. She is committed to Division I Grand Canyon University where former Drury head coach Molly Miller has taken over.
“She is a student of the game and has put the time and effort into bettering her game and leadership skills,” Matlock said.
Evans is just 18 points away from 1,000. She scored 468 points last year, so the senior could make a run at 1,500-point milestone this year as well.
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The rest of the varsity team returns for Waynesville with nine other players coming back after averaging between 1.4 and 4.1 points per game last year.
“We have had a great turn out this off-season. Everyone has shown improvement in one or more areas,” Matlock said.
Matlock said her team’s identity will be: “relentlessly working together on both ends of the floor.”
There will be at least one newcomer making a huge impact for Waynesville this winter. Breona Hurd, a 6’1 forward, will be a force for the Lady Tigers from Day 1. She is ranked in the Top 25 in the nation in the Class of 2024 by ESPN. She received her first D1 offer from the University of Oklahoma on Oct. 28 according to her Twitter account.
Waynesville will use the experience gained last year to its advantage this year.
“It is the first time in a while that we will return our entire varsity team,” Matlock said. “We want to be competitive every night and put ourselves in the best position to be successful.”
Waynesville opens the season on Nov. 23 at Union.
