By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Willard Lady Tigers were able to hold steady last season in Luke Floyd’s first year as the Lady Tigers’ head coach.
The Lady Tigers finished 10-16 overall, after finishing 13-16 in 2022-2023, and 3-6 in the Central Ozark Conference as they worked to learn a new system under a new coach.
“We competed most games and the girls did a great job of adjusting to me taking over,” said Floyd, who is in his 22nd year of coaching both boys and girls. “We were in several games that we just weren’t able to finish. Overall, I feel like we laid a solid foundation and established expectations going forward.
“We gained experience and knowledge of the system we want to run. There’s always an adjustment period when a new coach comes in, and I think we are past that and ready to roll.”
While Willard did lose some valuable experience, the Lady Tigers return a young, yet experienced lineup that includes one senior and four sophomores.
Scarlett Floyd, 5-foot-11 senior power forward – Averaged 3.1 points, 2.1 rebounds per game; selected to the COC All-Defensive Team. “Scarlett is a TOUGH player that excels at the little things that don’t necessarily show up on the stat sheet,” coach Floyd said.
Elise Murray, 5-6 sophomore point guard – Averaged 9.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.3 apg, 3.4 spg. “Elise is a high-IQ, skilled player that is only going to get better and better. Elise excels on both ends of the floor and we are expecting big things from her this season.”
Hadley McNatt, 5-2 guard – “Hadley is a sophomore guard that got a little varsity time last season. Hadley is a good shooter and handles the ball well.”
Madeline Polites, 5-7 sophomore guard – “Madeline is an athletic sophomore guard that got a few varsity minutes last season. Maddie is a good defender and is getting better and better on the offensive end.”
Harper Floyd, 6-0 sophomore forward – “Harper is a sophomore forward with guard skills. Harper, as well, appeared in a few varsity games last year. Her size and skillset will allow her to play inside and out on both ends of the floor.”
Coach Floyd is looking to a sophomore and three freshmen to contribute to the Lady Tigers in Cassidy Miller, Kennidy Keller, Khloe Jones and Sydney West.
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Cassidy Miller, 5-10, sophomore – “Cassidy can play inside and out,” Floyd said. “Cassidy is a good shooter and as she gains experience, should contribute a lot this season.”
Kennidy Keller, 5-6 freshman – “Kennidy is an athletic freshman that should see a lot of minutes this year. Kennidy is a good shooter and can get to the basket offensively. Defensively, she has the tools to be very good.”
Khloe Jones, 5-4 freshman – “Khloe is a skilled freshman guard that has had a very good offseason. Khloe handles the ball well and plays with a motor.”
Sydney West, 5-8 freshman – “Sydney is another skilled freshman. Sydney is a physical player and has the skill set to play inside and out.”
“Our attendance and participation in offseason activities has been great,” Floyd said. “We had a good summer where we laid out the blueprint for how we want to play this season. The girls have worked hard in the weight room and on their conditioning. I feel like we have really great chemistry.
“We are a young, but talented team We will have our growing pains, but this is a very talented group with a strong work ethic. The girls have really bought into what we are trying to do and strive each day to get better. They are a fun group to coach and be around.”
Willard will need to have some players step up to fill the void left by the graduation of Carolina Crawford, Kailyn Washington and Emma Howard.
Crawford, who was a multi-year starting guard, is now playing at Missouri Southern State University. “Carolina’s ability to shoot the ball was a great asset to our program,” Floyd said.
Washington also was a multi-year starter at guard and is now playing at Baptist Bible College. She earned Class 5 All-District 6 first-team and second-team all-conference honors. “Kailyn is a tremendous athlete (who is) able to both create her own shot and create for others.”
“Emma is a great teammate that always had a smile on her face,” Floyd said. “Emma’s leadership on the floor will be missed.”
“We are fairly inexperienced at the varsity level, so we are going to have to grow up fast,” Floyd said. “We are going to hit road bumps along the way, but we must continue to focus on the positives and strive to get better each and every day. Our schedule is extremely challenging, so we need to learn to bring our best effort each and every day.”
The Lady Tigers open the season at home against Glendale on Nov. 20 and Parkview on Dec. 7.
“Our expectation this season is to get better every day,” Floyd said. “We are extremely young, so we hope to keep things simple and allow the girls to rely on their instincts and natural abilities. Even though we are young, we are an athletic team with good basketball skills and IQ. We are also a fairly deep team which should allow us to play several girls on a nightly basis. If we can continue to work hard and make our goal to improve every day, we will have a successful season.”
