By Rob Patrick
The Bryant Lady Hornets have gone from a predominantly senior team in 2009-10 that was among the most successful in the recent history of the storied program to a sophomore-laden team in 2010-11.
But it’s no ordinary sophomore group that provides 11 of the 16 players on the team this year. As freshmen, they compiled a 28-0 record that, coupled with the 24-5 mark of the high school varsity team, made 2009-10 a most remarkable season for the Bryant program.
The Lady Hornets, who return one starter, forward Abbi Steams, who is also the team’s lone senior, make their unofficial debut tonight at West Memphis against the defending Class 6A State champion Lady Blue Devils.
The team also includes juniors London Abernathy, Callie Hogancamp, Brittney Ball, Breanna Blundell and those sophomores led by McKenzie Adams, who has already been offered a scholarship by the University of Arkansas. Adams’ classmates include Kiara Moore, Kristen Scarlett, Logan Davis, McKenzie Rice, Carley Choate (a move-in from Texas), Courtney Davidson, Rochelle Aguilar (who moved back to Bryant after a year in Sheridan), Lauren Buck, Hayley Murphy and Whitney Meyer. Rice and Davidson have only recently joined the team after playing key roles in a very successful Bryant volleyball season that produced a win at State.[more]
“The girls have been working their tails off,” declared head coach Blake Condley. “We’re a lot better today than we were when we got here in the spring but what that equates to when we play somebody else, I don’t know. That’s kind of where we’re at right now. We’re getting better, we’re working hard, we just need to play somebody else and see.
“I know there are things we need to work on, I know there are things we need fixed but we’ve worked on all the things we can find in practice,” he related. “Now we need to see some other competition to give us a gauge on where we’re at. Luckily, the way we scheduled this benefit game this year, we’ll have almost a week before we play again. So I think we’ll be able to fix those things before we play again.”
The Lady Hornets make their official debut at Sheridan on Thursday, Nov. 18.
“We’ve had our bumps but I think every team does that,” Condley said in reference to how the freshmen have meshed with their older teammates. “It’s how you respond to that adversity when it comes up or how you respond to a personality conflict here or there. Where do you go from there? Do you let it get in the way of what you’re trying to do or can you work through it positively? So far, we’ve done that. I think we’ve even had a couple of things that have brought us closer together. I’ve been really proud of the maturity. There are going to be more bumps, other things when the season gets going. So far so good, but how will we respond when that stuff comes? We’ll see.”
So far, Condley said, a rotation of Stearns, Adams, Moore, Blundell, Abernathy and Davis has emerged.
“Last year, I felt like we could go strong with seven girls then there was probably an eighth or a ninth girl where, if we needed to, we could go to that girl,” Condley mentioned. “We’re not quite there yet this year. There are six I’m comfortable with right now. I challenged the girls. I told them I’m looking for the seventh, eighth and ninth player that’s going to step up. And it’s open for anybody that wants it.
“We’ve been filming practice, we’ve been grading practice, trying to see who’s getting the best grade-outs,” he said. “And there’s a distinct line between the six girls I’m comfortable playing right now and the rest of the team. I’m looking for somebody to close that gap and be ready to give us some minutes.
“We’ll see over these next two weeks. It may be somebody that decides when the lights come on and game time’s here that they’re going to step up and play. That’s what the JV games are for.”
Regarding the team’s preparation for the new season, Condley stated, “We really spent a lot of time this off-season, this summer then in pre-season, working on being a better half-court defensive team, emphasizing what we need to do, where we need to be. The last two weeks, we’ve started stretching it out to full-court and running and jumping, kind of like we have the last few years. The girls have really responded to it. I like what I’m seeing up to this point.”
BRYANT LADY HORNETS
2010-11 basketball schedule
Nov. 9 — at West Memphis#
Nov. 18 — at Sheridan
Nov. 23 — Benton
Dec. 2-4 — Crabtree Invitational, Bentonville
Dec. 8-10 — Joe T. Robinson Invitational, Little Rock
Dec. 13 — Lake Hamilton
Dec. 17 — at Benton
Dec. 28-30 — at Spa City Shooutout, Hot Springs
Jan. 7 — at Mount St. Mary*
Jan. 11 — Van Buren*
Jan. 14 — at Russellville*
Jan. 18 — Conway*
Jan. 21 — at Cabot*
Jan. 25 — North Little Rock*
Jan. 28 — at LR Central*
Feb. 4 — Mount St. Mary*
Feb. 8 — at Van Buren*
Feb. 11 — Russellville*
Feb. 15 — at Conway*
Feb. 18 — Cabot*
Feb. 22 — at North Little Rock*
Feb. 25 — LR Central*
March 1-5 — Class 7A State Tournament, TBA
#pre-season game
