Conference: 5A-Central
Coach: William Roundtree, first year at school, 23rd year overall
Assistant coach: Crystal Scott
2012-2013 record: 28-4 overall, 14-0 in conference play
Returning starters: Jacksonville lost several players from last year’s team that won the Class 5A state championship, including all-Arkansas forward Jessica Jackson. The Lady Red Devils also took a hit during the summer when all-state guard Shakyla Hill transferred to Little Rock Hall, leaving the roster short on experience in Roundtree’s initial season. Jacksonville, though, does return all-state senior guard Tiffany Smith, 5-foot-4, and senior guard Sacha Richardson, 5-6, both of whom played key roles during the Lady Red Devils’ title run. In fact, Richardson was named to the All-Tournament team.
Best inside players: Roundtree has the daunting task of trying to replace Jackson, who he feels is the best player to ever wear a Lady Red Devil uniform. Richardson may be asked to spend some time inside until the team develops a true presence. Roundtree believes the strength and physicality of senior Ashli Evans, 5-5, could help his team in the paint as well.
Best outside players: Smith is the team’s top outside shooter, along with senior KeKe Acorn, 5-5. “I’m expecting KeKe to be able to put points on the board for us a lot this year,” Roundtree said. “Tiffany understands how to play the game of basketball, has that experience that we’re going to need to win games down the stretch.” Junior guard Antrice McCoy, 5-5, is the team’s best on-ball defender, Roundtree said.
How will you match/exceed/fall short of your success from last year?: Roundtree experienced success while coaching the Carlisle boys for the last eight seasons, so he knows what it takes to win. At Jacksonville, he realizes his ladies will be lacking in some areas but is confident they’ll be able to overcome any deficiencies with hard work. “We’ve got to be able to play together,” he said. “We had a pretty good summer, and the girls are progressing well. We’ve got to carry that over into the season, but we have to work hard each and every day.”
Team strengths: Jacksonville was one of the more athletic teams in the state last season, and Roundtree doesn’t expect much of a drop-off this year. “Our overall athleticism has got to carry us in some games,” he explained. “We’re going to be able to put some good athletes out there that can run the floor, and we think that’ll play to our advantage.”
Team weaknesses: Size will be Jacksonville’s main detriment this season, particularly with Jackson gone. “We have to find ways to negate that,” Roundtree said. “Adversity is going to come because of it, so we have to be able to defend and rebound as a team. We have to if we’re going to be competitive.”
Games to watch: Roundtree likes what he’s seen out of his players so far but will be able to get a better feel for them against live competition on Nov. 9 at Little Rock Fair. The Lady Red Devils will play Little Rock Central, one of the top teams in Class 7A, as well as league rival Sylvan Hills, each for a half. “We’ll have our Red-White game a week earlier,” Roundtree said, “but over at Fair is where we’ll see what we’re all about with the game lights on.” Jacksonville will officially open the season a week later at West Memphis.
Toughest opponent: Pulaski Academy should present Jacksonville with two stiff challenges, but ever-improving Sylvan Hills and Little Rock Christian could challenge the Lady Red Devils as well.
College prospects: Hill will be one of the top guards in the state, but with her departure from Jacksonville, the team may not have any true collegiate prospects going into the season. Smith could develop into a next-level player with a strong start to the year.
In a nutshell: Winning a second state championship won’t be nearly as easy as it was to nab their first one, but Roundtree thinks his team will be up to the challenge of defending their title. “ I don’t know a whole lot about the other teams in the conference, but I do know that we’ll be the hunted, based simply off last year,” he said. “ But what I’ve learned as a coach is that you can’t concentrate on everybody else. You’ve got to worry about your own team. We’ve got to be the best that we can be.”