By Chris Parker
Hurley girls basketball will be young this year without a senior on the roster. The Lady Tigers will lean on a trio of juniors in Maraya Schimmels, Mylee Chamberlain and Kourtney Fausett for leadership this year.
Schimmels earned second-team all-conference honors last year. She averaged 11.2 points per game.
“She is my floor general and will have to step up her game even more this year,” head coach Joey Little said. “She plays hard and is a smart player.”
Chamberlain returns with averages of 6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
“She really improved her shooting and her overall basketball knowledge throughout the year last year. She will play inside and outside. She will be one of the leaders this year. I expect a lot from her,” Little said.
Fausett averaged 3.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game last year.
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“I expect her to step up her game this year. I want her to look more to score and be a better rebounder. She has one year of varsity experience and she will get better every day,” Little said.
Sophomore Ashlee Robertson continues to improve by leaps and bounds. Last year, she led Hurley in rebounding at 9.2 per game.
“She really improved every day last year. She is very athletic and plays hard 100% of the time,” Little said. “She led the team in rebounds and steals last year. Ashlee was very, very raw coming into last year. She gets better and better every day. She is full of energy and always has a great attitude.”
Morgan Smith and Selena Flores are two incoming freshmen that will be relied on for production.
“(Smith) just needs time in the gym. She will be counted on to play many roles on the team. She is a hard worker. She really understands the game and is willing to get better every day,” Little said. “(Flores) will be counted on to play a lot of minutes. She works hard and is eager to learn.”
Numbers will again be small this year for the Hurley girls basketball team.
“We ended up only having five girls on the team last year, but they got valuable minutes. They learned a lot and got better throughout the season. We had a hard time finishing games last year, but I feel it was because of our numbers,” Little said. “I was so proud of them last year the way they competed each and every game. I expect us to work hard every day and get better throughout the year. We will be working on fundamentals, defense, and shooting the ball every day in practice. Our shooting percentage will have to improve for us to be competitive this year. We did not shoot the ball very well last year. All the girls are willing to learn and work hard. We will only have six girls out this year so I must do a better job at getting them in shape and game ready. Playing good defense and out-working the other team. We have to be in shape and stay out of foul trouble. I expect us to out hustle other teams and come up with all the loose balls.”
Hurley opens the season Nov. 21-25 at the Verona Tournament.
