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11-19-2011, 03:35 PM
By MIKE MARSEE
[email]marsee@amnews.com[/email]
11:43 a.m. EST, November 17, 2011
Editorâs Note: This is one in a series of previews of area high school girls basketball teams.
Bigger could be better for the Garrard County girls, but their coach is still growing into the idea.
Spirits are high in the Golden Lionsâ camp as all but two players return from a team that won a regional tournament game for the first time in five years. And they have a combination of experience and size that could help them contend in the highly competitive 12th Region.
Their coach is as high on what this team can do as anyone â but he said itâs going to require a little work on his part.
âWeâre very optimistic. Weâre returning five girls thatâs got a lot of experience, so weâve got the opportunity to play very well,â coach Scott Bolin said. âNow with that being said, Iâm going to have to learn how to coach this team, because this is going to be a little bit different. Weâre going to be very big, and this is a situation where Iâm not used to coaching this much size.â
Garrard has had three straight winning seasons under Bolin, including last yearâs 16-9 campaign. But the Lions havenât had this much size in one place at one time.
âAt any one time, I could have a power forward and three centers on the floor. Weâre probably 5-10, 5-11 with about four of our starters, and these are strong girls,â Bolin said. âThe good thing about it is none of the four are clones of each other. They all do things individually well.â
Garrardâs four-pronged attack starts with junior Kelly Smith, who returns after missing last season with a torn knee ligament.
âKelly is a leader in so many ways, vocally and phyiscally, and sheâs so strong. It just ups our physicality tremendously,â Bolin said.
Bolin said heâs expecting big things from senior Devin Napier, who returns after averaging just short of a double-double in points and rebounds. He also said sophomore Victoria Floyd is still on the rise after making a splash as a freshman, and junior Ryan Cain has made marked improvement in the preseason.
On the outside, sophomore guard Devin Conley is the top returning scorer.
âSheâs playing at a different speed. Sheâs got all the weight on her right now guard-wise, and I think she can handle that,â Bolin said.
Garrard needs to develop backcourt depth after losing junior Autumn Murray to a torn knee ligament over the summer. That will likely come from sophomore Madison DeBord and senior Kelsey Arnold, who are new to the team, and senior Taylor Domidion, as well as eighth-grader Emma Young.
âIt kind of puts us behind the eight-ball, losing Autumn, but we can adjust,â Bolin said. âUnfortunately, itâs something weâre getting used to.â
Bolin said heâs happy that his team has for the most part been on the same page in the preseason.
âIn four years Iâve been coaching girls basketball, this team has started off together better any team Iâve coached. They play hard, they play well together, so Iâm very optimistic about this group,â he said.
Keys to the Season
The Lions will play few teams â at least within the region, that can match their size and strength. However, Bolin said they have to work to make sure that what should be an advantage doesnât become a disadvantage.
âWeâre going to be a terrible matchup for almost everybody. But the flip side of that is everybodyâs going to be a terrible matchup for us, because weâre going to have a heck of a time matching people,â he said.
Player to Watch
Smith is back after leading Garrard in scoring and rebounding as a freshman, and Bolin said heâs glad to have her back. He said Smith will try not only to make up for lost time, but also to apply what she learned by watching last season from the bench.
âShe got to see a lot sitting over there on the sideline for a year ... so itâs helped her game as well. More importantly, she appreciates it more,â Bolin said.
Top Newcomer
DeBord, better known as a softball player, is lacking in experience but is athletic enough to help the Lions in any number of ways.
âSheâs one of the best athletes in our school, and sheâll help us tremendously,â Bolin said.
Biggest Concern
Bolin likes the different types of players and the wide range of ages on the roster, but he said it might take a little time to find the right blend.
âThereâs so many different things we can do now, weâve got to figure out what our strengths are and learn how to play to those strengths,â he said.
Top Returning Players
Ryan Cain, 5-11 Jr. F, 5.1p, 4.7r.
Devin Conley, 5-6 So. G, 11.6p, 2.8a.
Victoria Floyd, 5-11 So. F, 7.1p, 7.1r.
Devin Napier, 5-10 Sr. F, 9.9p, 9.2r.
[email]marsee@amnews.com[/email]
11:43 a.m. EST, November 17, 2011
Editorâs Note: This is one in a series of previews of area high school girls basketball teams.
Bigger could be better for the Garrard County girls, but their coach is still growing into the idea.
Spirits are high in the Golden Lionsâ camp as all but two players return from a team that won a regional tournament game for the first time in five years. And they have a combination of experience and size that could help them contend in the highly competitive 12th Region.
Their coach is as high on what this team can do as anyone â but he said itâs going to require a little work on his part.
âWeâre very optimistic. Weâre returning five girls thatâs got a lot of experience, so weâve got the opportunity to play very well,â coach Scott Bolin said. âNow with that being said, Iâm going to have to learn how to coach this team, because this is going to be a little bit different. Weâre going to be very big, and this is a situation where Iâm not used to coaching this much size.â
Garrard has had three straight winning seasons under Bolin, including last yearâs 16-9 campaign. But the Lions havenât had this much size in one place at one time.
âAt any one time, I could have a power forward and three centers on the floor. Weâre probably 5-10, 5-11 with about four of our starters, and these are strong girls,â Bolin said. âThe good thing about it is none of the four are clones of each other. They all do things individually well.â
Garrardâs four-pronged attack starts with junior Kelly Smith, who returns after missing last season with a torn knee ligament.
âKelly is a leader in so many ways, vocally and phyiscally, and sheâs so strong. It just ups our physicality tremendously,â Bolin said.
Bolin said heâs expecting big things from senior Devin Napier, who returns after averaging just short of a double-double in points and rebounds. He also said sophomore Victoria Floyd is still on the rise after making a splash as a freshman, and junior Ryan Cain has made marked improvement in the preseason.
On the outside, sophomore guard Devin Conley is the top returning scorer.
âSheâs playing at a different speed. Sheâs got all the weight on her right now guard-wise, and I think she can handle that,â Bolin said.
Garrard needs to develop backcourt depth after losing junior Autumn Murray to a torn knee ligament over the summer. That will likely come from sophomore Madison DeBord and senior Kelsey Arnold, who are new to the team, and senior Taylor Domidion, as well as eighth-grader Emma Young.
âIt kind of puts us behind the eight-ball, losing Autumn, but we can adjust,â Bolin said. âUnfortunately, itâs something weâre getting used to.â
Bolin said heâs happy that his team has for the most part been on the same page in the preseason.
âIn four years Iâve been coaching girls basketball, this team has started off together better any team Iâve coached. They play hard, they play well together, so Iâm very optimistic about this group,â he said.
Keys to the Season
The Lions will play few teams â at least within the region, that can match their size and strength. However, Bolin said they have to work to make sure that what should be an advantage doesnât become a disadvantage.
âWeâre going to be a terrible matchup for almost everybody. But the flip side of that is everybodyâs going to be a terrible matchup for us, because weâre going to have a heck of a time matching people,â he said.
Player to Watch
Smith is back after leading Garrard in scoring and rebounding as a freshman, and Bolin said heâs glad to have her back. He said Smith will try not only to make up for lost time, but also to apply what she learned by watching last season from the bench.
âShe got to see a lot sitting over there on the sideline for a year ... so itâs helped her game as well. More importantly, she appreciates it more,â Bolin said.
Top Newcomer
DeBord, better known as a softball player, is lacking in experience but is athletic enough to help the Lions in any number of ways.
âSheâs one of the best athletes in our school, and sheâll help us tremendously,â Bolin said.
Biggest Concern
Bolin likes the different types of players and the wide range of ages on the roster, but he said it might take a little time to find the right blend.
âThereâs so many different things we can do now, weâve got to figure out what our strengths are and learn how to play to those strengths,â he said.
Top Returning Players
Ryan Cain, 5-11 Jr. F, 5.1p, 4.7r.
Devin Conley, 5-6 So. G, 11.6p, 2.8a.
Victoria Floyd, 5-11 So. F, 7.1p, 7.1r.
Devin Napier, 5-10 Sr. F, 9.9p, 9.2r.
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11-19-2011, 03:35 PM
[Image: http://media.trb.com/media/photo/2011-11...084929.jpg]Devin Napier (10) of Garrard County returns after averaging just under 10 points and just over nine rebounds per game last season, and she is one of four players the Golden Lions could use as part of one of the area's biggest lineups. (Hal Morris)
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