Conference: 3A-5
Coach: Chris Smith, seventh year at school
Assistant coach: Randy Aaron
20012-13 record: 15-14
Returning starters: Returning from last year’s team are senior forward Saige Ivy, 5-10, and senior point guard Mackenzie Jones, 5-4, who missed most of last season with an injury to her ACL. Ivy is the only returning starter.
Best inside players: Ivy and senior forward Morgan Roach, 5-8, are the top players inside for the Lady Beavers.
Best outside players: Coach Smith said Jones will be the key to the team’s outside play.
How will this year’s team match/exceed/fall short of your success from last year? The coach said this year’s team will be different. “We lost a lot — six seniors. That’s a lot of experience,” he said. “It is like the year I started, when there were few experienced players, and we will have a new offense and new defense.”
Team strengths: “They all work hard, and they are coachable,” Smith said.
Team weaknesses: “There is a real lack of depth, and we will struggle to score,” the coach said.
Toughest opponent: While many fans may see certain teams as traditional rivals for the home team, coach Smith said he and his team don’t really look at their opposition that way. “We are a scouting-oriented team.”
Games to watch: “This is a tough conference from the teams ranked No. 1 through OVERSET FOLLOWS:No. 8,” he said. “It could be the toughest in the state with all that depth. We take the games one at a time.”
In a nutshell: “We are not starting over, but for the most part, we will be different,” the coach said. “We are going with the best plan for the team we have. It is going to be a different approach. The biggest thing people will see is that we will not be playing as much man defense.”