It’s been an interesting preseason for the Class 5A No. 5 Bloomington South girls basketball team.
Potential distractions have come from all directions, but this is an older, experienced, and confident group, so their focus hasn’t wandered. Anyway, the goal is not to be great now but when it matters most, which gives the Panthers plenty of time to meld it all together again.
The expectations are high. Really high. But the lineup, its strengths and weaknesses, won’t be quite the same as last year, even with four starters and several reserves back from last year’s regional champs.
Gone are two key pieces in the Rojas-Cepero sisters and their defense, ball-handling, and 3-point shooting. On board is talented junior transfer Tatum DeVries. And sidelined for a bit is senior starting guard Audrey Craft after undergoing wrist surgery. Still, South knows there’s a target on its back.
“We’ve got a bull’s-eye on us, so we’ve got to step up and show up,” head coach Larry Winters said before his 27th season. “It’s a privilege to be expected to do big things.”
So South set about preparing for it the best they could. Getting everyone together at the same time was challenging. Still, they found ways with Violet Hall competing in track at the ParaWorld Championships, Avery Schwartzman a starter for the soccer team, Quinnly Fife playing volleyball, and Alaina Maki with the school band in its ‘postseason’.
“They’re really focused,” Winters said. “They got a taste of something last year they really liked and obviously know we can get more. They want and expect more from themselves
“Spring and summer, the No. 1 thing was getting stronger. They got pushed around a little bit last year. Having multi-sport athletes, it was hard to get them all together in open gyms. But they found times. They would come in the morning to get shots up. They found ways to be around each other when they didn’t have to. It showed how focused they were.”
South also spent the summer getting the underclassmen ready for the future.
“So we’re not just relying on seniors,” Winters said. “You get to be a senior and you think it’s just for you and what it takes to where we want to get to. We wanted to put everybody in different situations with and without the seniors. They’re not always going to be together, so preparing them to be ready to move on to whatever comes next.”
The returning group is led by H-T Player of the Year Julia Lashley, who has been given the green light by her coaches and teammates to take over at any time.
“She’ll have a bit more offensive punch than she’s shown in the past,” Winters said. “She’s finally fully invested in her own confidence. She has to consistently be that person who takes over and understands that when she does that consistently, everybody else will do more consistently, also.
“They want her to do it, and she understands she has an obligation to do it.”
Hall missed a significant portion of open gym while training for track, but it has left her an even better athlete and likely made her more comfortable in any big-time situations.
“We’re excited to have her back in the fold,” Winters said. “At 6-1, she’s capable of doing whatever she wants on the floor. She can score and defend you end line to end line.”
Winters is looking for Maki and Craft, when she returns, to be more consistent outside shooters this year. DeVries, daughter of new IU men’s coach Darian, brings great experience, having started for a state runner-up team last year in West Virginia.
“She’s a very coachable kid and has a great basketball IQ, obviously,” Winters said. “She just wants to fit in, and she’s not doing more than is necessary. We welcomed her all summer long and the girls enjoy having her around. She’s a good shooter and has a good knack for finding the ball.”
Junior Annika Smith, who came off the bench last year, is the new point guard, but she has plenty of ball-handlers around her to help with that. Winters said South saw a few teams who pressed them, so they’re ready for that.
Schwartman, a sophomore, has been a “pleasant surprise,” Winters said. She moves into the starting lineup and provides good ball handling, rebounding, and great on-ball defense. Also expected to help out are sophomore guard Addy Prall, Fife, and 6-2 senior Rebekah Arnold.
Bloomington South by the numbers
HEAD COACH: Larry Winters, 366-217 in 27th year. LAST SEASON: 23-3, 5-0 CI. The Panthers won the sectional and their first regional title since 1987 before falling just short to Pike in the semistate opener.
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS: Julia Lashley, Sr. G (15.5 ppg, 8 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2.4 spg); Violet Hall, Sr. F (9.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg); Alaina Maki, Sr. G (5.7 ppg, 2 rpg); Audrey Craft, Sr. G (8.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg); Annika Smith, Jr. G; Rebekah Arnold, Sr. F; Avery Schwartzman, So. G.
SCHEDULE NOTES: A tough schedule last year is even tougher, featuring a semistate qualifier in Gibson Southern, 3A No. 6 Bishop Chatard at the Indiana Fairgrounds, No. 12 Center Grove, a 19-win Brownsburg squad, 3A regional champion No. 3 Evansville Central, and defending state champion Lawrence North at the Plainfield Tournament.
ROSTER (No. Player, Cl. P, Ht): 1 Addy Prall, So. G, 5-5; 2. Tatum DeVries, Jr., G 5-8; 4 Amaya Stinson, Jr. F, 5-10; 5 Avery Schwartzman, Jr. G 5-8; 10 Annika Smith, Jr. G, 5-8; 12 Alaina Maki, Sr. G 5-8; 15 Quinnly Fife, So. F 5-11; 22 Violet Hall, Sr. F 6-1; 23 Audrey Craft, Sr. G 5-9; 32 Julia Lashley, Sr. G 5-11; 34 Rebekah Arnold, Sr. F 6-2.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: South girls basketball ready to make an even bigger run: ‘We’ve got a bullseye on us’
Reporting by Jim Gordillo, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
