By Chris Parker
Lockwood girls basketball did not field a team last year, instead they entered a one-year co-op with Golden City.
This year, Lockwood returns to the varsity court under new head coach Ethan Baker, who is also serving as the head coach of the boys program.
“We were very happy that the co-op allowed a few of our girls the opportunity to play last year when they otherwise wouldn’t have. I think the community as a whole is happy that our girls will be back in the red and black this season. Many of our players are incoming freshmen who didn’t experience the co-op, but we will have two seniors who get to finish out their careers playing for their school,” Baker said.
Baker will have the challenge of balancing coaching two programs at Lockwood in addition to his duties as athletic director.
“Time management will be a challenge. I’m someone who likes to be prepared, both for practices and games. This year I will rely on my assistants more than I have in any year prior. Scheduling was a bit of a challenge as to try to have as few scheduling conflicts as possible where both teams may play at the same time. For the most part, we were able to schedule both girls and boys games at the same place on the same night, which is helpful,” Baker said.
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Senior Tarryn Glenn will be a team leader this year. She played in the Golden City co-op last year. She will be the only player on the roster with high school basketball experience at any level.
Freshmen will be a key for Lockwood this year. That group includes: Grace Wilson, Adrien Neill, Gatlyn Clawson, Kelsey Daniel, Shae Gray, Hannah Steeley and Payton Wilson. Grace Wilson brings a nice shooting touch at guard. Neill will handle the ball. Clawson is will also contribute at guard. Daniel will provide length in the post. Gray is a tenacious defender. Steeley will play both guard and forward. Payton Wilson is a physical player.
Senior Daphne Moss returns to the basketball court after last playing in junior high.
“As a whole, we are a small inexperienced team,” Baker said. “Everyone will be new to our system and it will obviously take time to pick up. We must form a tenacious physical identity early on for both sides of the floor. This summer we played hesitantly on both offense and defense. With a mostly freshman group, if we play that way at the varsity level, other teams will certainly aim to take advantage of that.”
Lockwood opens the season on Nov. 20 at Dadeville.
“I expect that we will grow as a team over the course of the season. I believe we will have a resilient group of girls that will battle through adversity this season and become a better team because of it,” Baker said. “I am personally excited to branch out and try new things as a coach.”
