By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
It’ll be a new era for Hartville Basketball with Kailey Morris taking over the program. Morris has been in the college ranks the last several years, working with Lincoln University, Stephens College and William Woods.
She was formerly a high school standout at conference rival Mansfield.
“My girls, the staff I work with, and the community that we serve daily has made it an easy transition,” said Morris. “I will admit, the blue made me really hot for the first month, but it has gotten easier and easier to wear after being around the people here at Hartville. The type of people you have leading a district can make or break the experience, and it has made my experience here at Hartville.
“I took this job knowing the potential these girls had, and knowing the people around me, not because of the color I’d have to wear or the name of the school. Mansfield will always be a part of me, but Hartville is my second home and I’m proud of that. I will always be thankful Hartville gave me my first chance to lead a program, and I will always do my best to lead with integrity.”
Hartville returns three starters from last year’s 11-17 edition, with senior Jenna Kelley leading the way.
As a junior Kelley averaged 11 points and 8.1 rebounds, earning All-Summit and All-District honors. Her size and athleticism make her a mismatch at any level, but especially small-school basketball.
“Jenna will be one of our leaders,” said Morris. “She will be looked at to provide our team with her knowledge of the game and the experience of playing varsity level basketball. She will be our leading scorer and rebounder most nights, and I look for her to be a great example of what a great teammate looks like.”
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Joining Kelley are a pair of guards that each played in every game last year.
Senior Hannah Keith averaged six points in addition to being a great defender. Junior Jayla Ferguson brings back 9.1 points and 3.1 assists, being one of the most experienced guards in the league.
“Hannah will be looked at to take care of the basketball, use her speed in transition, and shoot the three at a higher percentage than last year,” said Morris. “Jayla is our point guard and floor general. She will be our vocal leader on the floor. She will run our offense, and start our defense. She had a rough year last season with turnovers, so she will look to take care of the basketball and have a breakout season for us. She has shown great progress this summer, and she is more than capable.”
Senior Rileigh Sinning and junior Makynna Ghormley will see bigger roles this winter.
Sinning is a 5-foot-8 wing that is back after sitting out last year. Morris is excited about her ability to score. Ghormley is also 5-foot-8 and adds versatility and toughness on both ends of the floor.
Morris is also extremely excited about her freshmen class, with four players being in position to see varsity minutes this year.
Maddie Brown and Kinley Cryer have basketball in the blood with siblings that have been extremely successful at Hartville. Both are taller guards that can really score.
Sarah Palmer and Carlyn Caldwell are also guards that will make an instant impact defensively.
With Hartville’s new style, everyone will need to be ready to play.
As a player, Morris was a fan of up-tempo basketball and as a coach her teams will reflect that.
“Our fans can expect to see a fun style of basketball,” said Morris. “We want to push in transition as much as possible, but at the same time, be extremely disciplined. We want to shoot the ball at a high percentage by taking the best shot possible each possession. This summer we spent a ton of time working on basketball control and basketball protection. The small details that it takes to continuously get the best shot possible each possession is what we work on daily.
“Defensively, fans can expect to see a lot of ball pressure. We will play a style of defense most Hartville Lady Eagles fans haven’t seen in a few years, tough man to man defense. We will be extremely conditioned come game time, and ready to play with pace early on. Half the battle in girls basketball is their level of stamina. We will be able to run with anyone, but where we have to grow this season is staying disciplined on the defensive end and finishing plays with a rebound.”
Hartville will kick off the 2023-24 season on Nov. 27 at the Fordland Tournament. Hartville will host Mansfield on Jan. 11.
