By Chris Parker
Cole Camp girls basketball will have an amount of depth the program has not seen in many years.
“This is the biggest roster we have had on the girls side in about 12 seasons,” Cole Camp head coach Derald Henderson said. “I’m excited to have 18 girls playing basketball. The girls on this team are amazing humans and very good kids. I’m excited to work with them and see how much we can improve over the course of the season.”
The team returns seven players who saw varsity action last season. That group includes Emma Thayer (senior), Mackenzie Moellman (senior), Payten Shoemaker (junior), Marilyn Hesse (junior), Katherine Timoshchuk (junior), Kaitlyn Whitworth (junior) and Alivia Haase (junior).
Henderson on Thayer: “High IQ player with good understanding of team defense. She does a good job of limiting turnovers and being strong with the basketball.”
Henderson on Moellman: “Mackenzie is the anchor of our defense. She will protect the rim and be in charge of communicating. I expect her to score around the basket and get to the free throw line this season.”
Henderson on Shoemaker: “Scrappy point guard who will lead our offense this season. She really boosted our team the second half of the season with lead passes and pushing tempo.”
Henderson on Hesse: “Will draw the toughest defensive assignment every night. Very athletic player who can guard and rebound the basketball.”
Henderson on Timoshchuk: “Strong forward who is very talented. She had some strong performances for us last season. We will push her to improve her consistency.”
Henderson on Whitworth: “Versatile wing she can score the basketball in a variety of ways. She has potential to step into an important role for us this season.”
Henderson on Haase: “High energy player. She plays with an infectious energy that can boost the entire team.”
Freshmen Kodi Dieckman, Madilynn Ogle, Kristin Carl, Leah Allison and Madolyn Flores will all look to make immediate varsity impacts.
Henderson on Dieckman: “Her transition to high school basketball was smooth this summer. She is a skilled passer and does a good job setting up teammates to make plays. Makes players around her better.”
Henderson on Ogle: “She is an aggressive player who isn’t afraid to shoot the three and score the ball in transition.”
Henderson Carl: “She will be in the mix to help run our offense and push the ball in transition. She has all the tools to become a good defender.”
Henderson on Allison: “Athletic wing. She can play in transition, off the dribble, and will shoot the ball off the catch.”
Henderson on Flores: “Athletic guard. Very quick and good defender.”
Cole Camp will lean on its defense while the offense develops.
“We should be solid defensively. I think we can be a strong defensive unit which can be tough to play against every night,” Henderson said. “Our biggest area of growth is scoring the basketball. We need to be more consistent and have a few girls step into a scoring role this season. To do this, we will place a great emphasis on our skill work and improving our shooting and confidence. “
Cole Camp opens the season Dec. 2-7 at the Warsaw Tournament.
“We are striving for confidence, consistency and competitiveness,” Henderson said. “These are my focuses for this team. I think it starts with our confidence and our belief in one another.”
