Conference: 2-3A
Coach: Mandy Goodwin, entering 10th season at Rose Bud, the only place she has ever coached. Overall record of 182-77.
Assistant coach: None
2010-2011 record: Overall record of 26-4, conference record of 9-1
Returning starters: Five returning starters include Tori Willborg, last season's leading scorer; Lauren Wynne; Sara Sartin; Tori Lemieux; and Kyndl Harlan.
Best inside players: Wynne, Sartin and Madelyn Murphree.
Best outside players: Willborg, Lemieux and Harlan. Of those players, coach Goodwin said, “All three bring excellent outside shooting.”
How will you match/exceed/fall short of your success from last year? “We hope to have a better show in the regional tournament and go deeper in the state tournament,” the head Lady Rambler said.
Strengths of the team: “We have a lot of speed and depth between the returners and the new additions joining us this season,” Goodwin said. “A few new players who will be a large part of our success are Jessi Mann, Alexis Jackson, Natalie Sherwood, Marissa Holland and Bailee Burchfield.”
Weaknesses of the team: “We tend to lack in the area of self-confidence,” the coach said.
Games to watch: Harding Academy and Bald Knob are big match-ups in conference play, while Jessieville and Mountain View are also intriguing opponents.
Toughest opponents: “Harding Academy and Bald Knob will be the teams to beat in conference. In our region, it will also be those two and Jessieville. We also have Mountain View on the schedule, which will really be a game to watch,” Goodwin said.
College prospect: Coach Goodwin said that Willborg, a senior, means a lot more to the team than just being the returning leading scorer.
In a nutshell: “We have a great mixture of older leadership and hard work mixed with many young, talented players. If we can just enjoy the game we love all year and put everything else out of our minds, we will be successful. No matter the outcome of the season, I am proud of my girls for enduring several hardships together, which in turn has made us a mentally stronger team. In reality, many teams will come up short of their expectations this season, but we realize we must have a faith that we never leave short and we trust in, no matter the task at hand,” the coach concluded.