By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
With experienced seniors leading the way, the Clever Lady Jays are ready to hit the ground running this season.
And run they will – Clever plans to take full advantage of its ample team speed.
“Our main keys will be playing solid man-to-man defense, along with using our athleticism and speed on the offensive end,” said Clever coach Clark Satterlee. “We don’t have a lot of size, so we will try to get after people on defense and run the floor as much as possible.”
Five seniors are back, all of whom saw varsity action in their junior seasons.
Ireland Jones is a do-it-all guard who leads Clever in most statistical categories. She’s poised for a big bounce-back campaign after a leg injury caused her to miss Clever’s final eight games last season.
Jones finished first or second on the team in points (17.2), rebounds (6.1), assists (4.4) and steals (3.4).
The 5’5” guard should eclipse 1,000 career points in her final season as well. She’s tallied 743 career points thus far.
“She was having a great year last year before the injury,” Satterlee said. “She is fully healed and has once again worked extremely hard this offseason to get better. We expect a big year out of her, and she will stuff the stat sheet on a consistent basis.”
Jones, a first team all-Mid Lakes Conference selection last season, will continue her career at Baptist Bible College in Springfield.
Jayleign Flood’s track and field background translates well to the basketball court. The all-state track star typically guards the opponent’s best player.
Flood, a second team all-conference selection, averaged nearly nine points and a team-high seven rebounds per game last season.
“She has made strides in her scoring ability last year and should continue to expand her offensive game this season,” Satterlee said.
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Brylie Hicks rounds out Clever’s all-senior starting backcourt. Hicks (8.9 ppg, 2.8 spg) earned all-conference honorable mention last season and has developed into a solid two-way player.
“She will be counted on to both score and defend at a high level this year,” Satterlee said.
Baillie McClanahan (5’10”) is the de facto “big” for Clever’s undersized squad. McClanahan figures to take a big jump in her scoring (4.5 rpg) and rebounding (4.6 rpg) outputs from last season.
“She made strong strides defensively over the summer and continues to become more confident on her inside game,” Satterlee said. “We are looking for her to control the paint and clean the glass each game.”
Clever’s fifth senior, Emma Anders, is a 3-point specialist and provides the unsung “effort” plays for the team.
The current senior class played a significant role (as sophomores) when Clever won a district championship two years ago, in Satterlee’s first season at the helm.
“In Year One with a new coach, there is a lot of knowledge transfer that has to take place with terminology, strategy, execution and expectations,” Satterlee. “We’ve had time now to build that understanding, and our team’s continuity and connectedness should pay off.”
Two sophomores are poised to earn full-time varsity roles.
Ella Newman became a part-time starter last season after Clever lost Jones to injury.
“We expect her to be our primary ball-handler this year to allow Ireland more scoring opportunities,” Satterlee said. “She is also a high IQ player and good at taking charges on the defensive side.”
Mackenzie Camp emerged as a valuable utility player in her freshman season. The 5’8” Camp can play in the post or on the perimeter.
“She’s worked as hard as anyone this offseason to get better and make an impact,” Satterlee said. “She brings great effort and should provide a nice scoring punch this year.
Clever went 14-13 overall last season, finishing above .500 for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
The Lady Jays graduated a pair of seniors in guard Maddie Kime and forward Rylee Lansdown.
Kime shined in a reserve role, averaging over eight points per game off the bench. She shot just shy of 35% percent from 3-point range and over 80% at the free throw line.
“We’ll miss her shooting ability and team-first attitude,” Satterlee said.
Lansdown was a serviceable post player.
“She was good inside and strong on the boards; she provided effort and toughness,” Satterlee said.
In addition, senior Riley Britton won’t return as she focuses on her other two sports: cross country and track.
“We will miss her athleticism and ability to run the floor,” Satterlee said.
Newcomers to watch include sophomore guard Kaylin Ziegler, along with freshmen Izi Hunter and Katelynn Butts.
“Kaylin is a good shooter and athlete who has progressed well since she started (playing) basketball in 6th grade,” Satterlee said. “Izi is a skilled player who worked hard over the summer to get better. Katelyn is a defensive-minded post player who is continuing to get better on offense.”
All three are competing to fill out Clever’s varsity roster.
“We return a large chunk of our team from last season, so we have a solid base on our man-to-man (defense) principles and how we want to guard,” Satterlee said. “We had a great summer and expect to be competitive every night.”
Clever hosts Marshfield for its regular season opener on Monday, Nov. 20. The Lady Jays will compete in a four-team jamboree with McAuley Catholic (host), College Heights Christian and Carthage on Nov. 14.
As a growing school district, Clever could land in new territory for the 2023-24 season.
“Depending on how the enrollment numbers break, we could be Class 3 or 4. Regardless, our goal is to be playing our best basketball come playoff time and compete for a district championship,” Satterlee said.
