By Chris Parker
Josh Kleine takes over as head coach of the Monett girls basketball program. The Lady Cubs have posted back-to-back 12-14 seasons. The Lady Cubs graduated both of their all-conference selections from last year’s team.
“This is my first year here at Monett. They went 12-14 last year, and had four starting seniors. We lost those four to graduations, and the other starter from last year has chosen not to play basketball,” Kleine said. “We will have a brand new team. We will look to play tough defense every night in order to give ourselves the best opportunity to win.”
A pair of seniors in Kim Parris (post) and Kaia Johnson (forward) will be team leaders this year.
“Kim is one of our hardest workers, and is very coachable. She is about the only girl we have returning that has any varsity experience. She will be asked to do a lot for us on both ends of the floor,” Kleine said. “Kaia played mostly junior varsity last year, but she will have to step up and be a leader for us this year. She has the potential to be a big offensive threat.”
Sophomores Sadie Camp and Lindsey Jasumback have shown marked improvement in the off-season.
“Sadie has worked hard to get better over the off-season. She can play defense on almost any type of player, and she has improved her offensive skill set,” Kleine said. “Lindsey has worked hard in the offseason to fight for varsity playing time. She can play in the post, but can also step out, and hit a mid-range jump shot.”
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Sophomores Allyson Inman and Lia Meredeth along freshman Londi Torres also will be factors in the varsity equation.
“Allyson played J.V. last year, but she will step into a varsity role this year. She is one of our best athletes, and she competes very hard. She should make us be better on both ends of the floor. Lia played J.V. as well last year. She is a capable scorer from the outside, and looks to get better defensively throughout the season,” Kleine said. “Londi will fight for varsity minutes this year. She is a very quick, and capable defender. She causes problems for opposing teams point guards.”
Defense will be a focus for the Lady Cubs this year.
“We will be very defensive minded. Our goal every possession will be to force the offense into a contested shot, and get the defensive rebound,” Kleine said.
Monett opens the season on Nov. 23 at home against Spokane.
“I expect this to be a year of growth,” Kleine said. “We will be very young, with little varsity experience. But, we will play extremely hard and by the time conference games roll around, I expect to be competitive every night.”
