By Chris Parker
College Heights girls basketball returns a strong core from last season’s 17-win team that claimed a district championship.
Reigning Ozark 7 Conference Player of the Year Libby Fanning returns to lead the Lady Cougars. She averaged 15.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game last season.
“She (Fanning) is a junior post player that brings a strong inside presence with the ability to play and shoot from the perimeter as well,” College Heights head coach John Blankenship said.
Maddy Colin and Ava Lett also return after earning honorable mention all-conference honors.
Colin averaged 7.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.7 assist and 1.3 steals per game.
“She (Colin) gives us a lot of stability on the floor,” Blankenship said. “She is very strong in the post, a great rebounder, and is a threat to shoot the mid-range jumper as well as the three-point shot.”
Lett contributed 6 points, 1.3 assists and nearly a steal per game.
“She (Lett) is an excellent three-point shooter,” Blankenship said. “She is really developing into a more complete player this year with the ability to drive to the basket and finish as well as finding the open person when the defense rotates to stop her penetration.”
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Kinley Marsh, Molly Long and Avery Shumaker are all post players for College Heights.
Blankenship on Marsh: “She provides more interior height and speed. She will be a great inside defender and rebounder. She finishes well around the basket and is developing a good mid-range jump shot.”
Blankenship on Long: “Molly Long is another junior post player that is returning from a season ending back injury last year which led to off-season surgery. I’m expecting Molly to make great contributions to the team this year.”
Blankenship on Shumaker: “Avery Shumaker is one of those kids that every coach loves to have. She works so hard, is coachable, and a great team leader. She has improved a lot over the off season.”
Jesalin Bever, Allie Stout, and Karly Dorris are three Sophomore guards that saw limited varsity minutes last year but will see expanded roles this season.
“They bring a lot of quickness to our team which will allow us to continue developing our team identity from previous years, which has been our pressure defense and transition game,” Blankenship said. “Jesalin is doing a great job of handling the point guard position for us in preseason practices.”
College Heights will be strong in the post while working to be more consistent on the perimeter.
“We will have a strong post presence this year. Our post players finish well, rebound well, and are disciplined on defense. Our guards have good quickness and see the court well,” Blankenship said. “We need to be a little more consistent with our perimeter shooting, although I have seen tremendous improvement since the first day of practice.”
College Heights opens the regular season on Nov. 21 at home against RUSH.
“We always try and focus on the process rather than the destination,” Blankenship said. “It’s about showing up each day focused and improving daily. We understand that we have big shoes to fill this year after graduating three outstanding players last year. However, this year’s team is confident, working hard, and ready to build off last year’s success. If we can stay connected to the daily process during the difficult stretches of the season, then we will develop into a postseason contender.”
