By Michael Cignoli (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
With a new head coach and an almost entirely new lineup, this year’s Ava girls basketball team will look a lot different than the group that won the school’s third straight district title last winter.
After a year as the district’s middle school basketball coach, former Ava standout Jacey Swofford was promoted to lead the varsity program for the coming season.
Swofford was a 1,000-point scorer and three-time all-conference selection during her playing career and inherits a program that will be looking to replace virtually all of the key contributors from the team that went 25-5 a year ago.
“This year will definitely be a rebuilding season,” Swofford said. “We will be very young and most of my varsity players won’t have a lot of experience playing at this level. We will just take it day by day and continue to work hard.”
The Bears will be looking to replace a five-player senior class headlined by Drury signee Sara Mendel, the reigning Class 4 Co-Player of the Year. The others — Keeley Akers, Celia Fossett, Olivia Gatineau and Lexi Gastineau — earned a spot on at least one postseason all-star team.
“Last year’s seniors were a very special group,” Swofford said. “They left a legacy that will be challenging to recreate. They did all the little things to create their own success — playing since elementary, going through hard times, trusting the process and just showing up. The players returning this year were very fortunate to be a part of that culture and see first-hand that winning isn’t always easy and that every player is responsible for contributing to success.”
Swofford has some familiarity with the returning varsity Bears, having been around the club last season. She’s also coached some of the up-and-coming Bears while they were in middle school. That will help ease the transition into a new era for the program.
“I think everyone knows that we will be a young inexperienced team as a whole,” Swofford said. “You can plan to see some of the same things from the past, but we are working hard to create a system that works for our current players.”
Emma Smith is the team’s lone returning starter, earning valuable varsity minutes after Olivia Gastineau suffered a knee injury last season. Swofford said Smith “will have a big role” as “one of the leaders” of a group that is short on experience.
Fellow juniors Natalie Jenkins and Madi Goss also saw some varsity action last season and have the potential to be leaders and contribute on both ends of the floor.
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Multiple freshmen could also wind up securing roles with the varsity club.
“Jess Shrable will be one of our freshmen that will be a huge part of our team,” Swofford said. “She’s quick and can get to the basket. Taylor Dry is another freshman that will have a huge part. She has a great shot and is quick on defense.”
The team’s youth could put them at a disadvantage in a competitive conference and district, but Swofford is excited to see her players rise to the challenge — and how much they improve from the start of the season to the point the final horn sounds.
“I’m hoping this team is known for their character,” Swofford said. “This year will be hard and I want the girls to keep a positive attitude and keep working hard.”
The Bears will travel to Spokane for a November 13 jamboree with the Owls and Buffalo. Their regular-season and home opener is exactly one week later against Hollister.
“We will have a lot of girls that haven’t played in a couple years,” Swofford said. “I’m hoping that they will put in the work and help us out this year.”
