There hasn't been much that's forced Viola's A.J. McCandlis out of her comfort zone whenever's she's been on the court this season, and her head coach Jason Hughes can vouch for that.
Neither junk defenses nor face-guarding has had much of an effect on the smooth-shooting junior, who regularly puts up gaudy numbers for a program that's been among Class 1A's best for the past three seasons. Heck, she practically expects to be double- or triple-teamed at some point throughout the course of a game.
But response to it all has been about as repetitive as her shooting jump shot after jump shot during daily practice sessions.
"I just go out and play my game," McCandlis said. "There's isn't a lot I haven't seen as far as how teams come out on defense. I just try not to rush things. ... Just go out, play like I always do and not let it bother me."
However, there is something that Hughes admitted makes McCandlis cringe -- in somewhat of a reverse-Kryptonite sort of way. Oddly enough, it revolves around the subject she's well-versed in.
"When I bring up points, she becomes very uncomfortable," he said. "That may seem strange, but she's very supportive of her teammates, always encouraging them to score and shoot. She, herself, doesn't care how many times she shoots. She's not interested in points, awards, honors. ... That's not what she's in it for.
"She's in it for the competition and winning. And for somebody with her talent level, that's pretty big."
McCandlis' talent level is pretty stout in its own right, which is a huge reason why the Lady Longhorns have been able to stay afloat and hold their own despite what they lost from last season.
Viola lost A.J.'s sister Sami, a 5-9 guard, and Lindsey Browning, a 5-11 forward -- a pair that each scored well over 1,000 points in their careers -- as well as a player who Hughes called "a 5-9 defensive gem" in Macey Perryman to graduation after the Lady Longhorns were beaten by eventual state champion Rural Special in the state tournament semifinals. Those departures left gaping holes in the team's lineup,
"We couldn't play inside out the way we played before," Hughes explained. "We knew going in what people were going to try to do to defend us, though. We know what our strengths are, we know what our weaknesses are, and we know how people try to attack us.
"Of course, they try to take A.J. away first and foremost, but the thing is, she still continues to just do what she does despite two and three people guarding her each night."
McCandlis has carved up those schemes more times than not for a team that appears to be improving by the game. She's averaging more than 20 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 4.5 steals and has the Lady Longhorns (11-12, 6-3) sitting in third place in the always-tough 1A-2 Conference -- the same league which produced all four state Class 1A semifinalists in 2021. The 5-7 dynamo, who was an all-state selection as a sophomore, has scored at least 30 points multiple times, including a jaw-dropping 48-point outing in a victory over Ozark Mountain in October.
"I think we've done the things we've supposed to do so far," McCandlis said. "We haven't lost any games we were supposed to lose, we haven't laid any eggs against anyone. We've got a lot of conference games coming up, but with where we're at right now, I think we're exactly where we're supposed to be, with the potential to move up."
A great deal of that upward movement could center around the continued production from McCandlis' teammates. Senior guard Trinity Sherrill has shined as both the team's second-leading scorer and one of its top defenders while sophomore guard Audrey Newberry, who's second in the team in assists, has developed into one of Viola's best shooters, as evidenced by the seven three-pointers she hit in a 48-29 victory over Class 4A Pocahontas on Dec. 30.
"I'll be honest, it's a different two or three kids every night," Hughes mentioned. "In the first half, you're trying to figure out who's gonna make shots. And then in the second half, you try to go with who's proven they're on."
In McCandlis' case, the on switch is rarely off. She's played at a top-shelf level ever since her freshman season when Viola finished as state runner-up to Kirby. McCandlis had a game-high 16 points in that Class 1A final. She followed that up with an even better season as a 10th-grader when she garnered All-Arkansas honors.
According to McCandlis, it's what Viola has been able to accomplish over the years that's aided in her ascension.
"We've been very successful the last few years," she explained. "So for myself and the seniors on this team, we really haven't lost much in our careers. Just that competitive nature that we have as a whole has really helped all of us.
"None of us like to lose, and none of us want to be showed up by anyone. So we put in the work to be the best we can each and every time we're out on the court."
McCandlis said she puts it upon herself to make sure her teammates are comfortable early on in games. For her, that meant either finding open looks for them when teams are throwing waves of defenders at her or even taking the first few shots just to get them settled.
That eventually allows her to do damage in multiple ways.
"She's going to do whatever to help this team improve and win," Hughes said. "That's just who she is. She's got the ball in her hands 75 to 80% of the time, and she's having to do a lot off the dribble. She literally gets chased 90 feet every night, and there's no let up. Yet, she toughs it out, and still finds a way to get it done, for everybody."
That endurance has benefited the Lady Longhorns as a whole because the more McCandlis is out there, the better their chances are to succeed.
"I still think we all have to stay healthy, though, if we want to continue to succeed," she said. "Covid is still out there, too, and that recently caused our school to shut down. But there's definitely a chance for us to continue to keep getting better, keep improving."
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NoneMcCandlis at a glance
SCHOOL Viola
CLASS Junior
POSITION Guard
HEIGHT 5-7
NOTEWORTHY Was named to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette All-Arkansas Preps Girls Underclassman team as a sophomore. … Averages 20 points and eight rebounds. … Had 36 points, 9 rebounds and 5 steals against Danville but turned in a season-high 48 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Ozark Mountain. … Named All-State last season.
A.J. McCandlis