Looking to improve last season’s record, newly-hired Paden City Girls’ Basketball Head Coach Kelly Sine and his assistant, Bruce Crawford, are ready for another go-around and will be able to build a program with numbers.

There are 18 girls out for the high school team and 21 for the junior high program. With the addition of Jason Stoneking and Jason Suter as the junior high coaches, things are looking up in Wildcat territory this season and the ladies are gearing up for a competitive 2011-12. Sine states that he and his team are looking forward to the challenge that this year is sure to bring. “When I talk about a program, I mean from top to bottom, and that starts with the middle school program,” Sine said. “I have two quality coaches in Stoneking and Suter running the show down there. They are basically running the same type of offense we do here.

“Suter is the conditioning coach for both the middle school and the high school, while Stoneking is taking the bull by the horns and running the show down there. They both mesh well and work well together and will come and help us when they can. And Bruce and I will go help them when they need it,” said Sine.

Paden City lost Joni Myers and Ashley Efaw to graduation last year, as well as point guard Megan Cutlip, who moved away. But, returning to the line-up for the Lady ‘Cats are seniors Amanda Heasley (5’7″) and Dominique Craft (5’7″); juniors, Logan Cosper (5’4″) and Samantha Shreves (5’10”); and sophomores Beth Yaron (5’5″) and Katie Shreves (5’6″).

Just out from the PC?cheerleading squad is Lynnsie Parsons. Parsons played last season and will help out at the guard’s position.

Newcomers Myra Greathouse (5’10”) and Lynan Stanley (5’10”) will play the post position, while Hannah Stanley (5’4″) and Kayla Hizer (5’5″) will see considerable time at forward, as will Kayla Barker (5’1″) at guard. Other players trying to get some varsity playing time include, Jennifer Hickman, Sadie Helmic, Audra “Stomper” McFadden, Nickie Little, and Kayla and Jennifer Dahms.

Needing a point guard to run the show, Sine will look to Cosper to fill the void left by Cutlip, but he can also use Craft and a host of underclassmen, who are ready to chip in and do whatever it takes to get this party started.

Cosper, who was the Lady ‘Cats’ assist leader on the volleyball team, will be called to distribute the ball to a long list of capable teammates. But, she also will keep opponent defensives honest with her pure outside shooting skills that will open the paint for Geathouse, Craft, and Sam Shreves.

If she can handle the in-your-face defenses,” said Crawford, “we could be a very good team. If she can’t, we will need to use freshman Barker, who is a pure point guard who is fast improving on her outside game. So if it’s Cosper or Barker, we will be all right. It would be nice if Cosper can handle the rock in pressure-type situations, so we can slowly bring in Barker to run things down the road and don’t have to put her into the fire right off the bat. But we will see.”

With Cosper at point, Craft will be called upon to be the off guard and Heasley the shooting forward. “Craft has been the point guard in the past and with three quality ball handlers on the team, most teams won’t get into a full court press with us,” stated Crawford.

“Craft is a coach’s dream. She understands the game and is like having a coach on the floor. She can handle the rock, penetrate, shoot the ball, and rebound. Her knowledge of the game will open the floor with some fast break opportunities. Defensively she is just as reliable. She shuffles her feet quite well and can out-muscle you for the ball.

“Heasley is a soft-spoken girl who does her talking on the court. She is a very good outside shot and can pull down her share of rebounds. She runs the floor well and can finish off fast breaks, as well as start them. She is working very hard to become that impact player that can do all the things necessary to become a great player,” said Crawford.

From here, it gets interesting. Sine looks to use Samantha Shreve at power forward and Mara Greathouse at center, both quality players. “Depending on the team we’re up against and how they play will help us decide who needs to be in the game.

We need to be quicker on offense and score when we can,” added Sine.

“Sam, who played a bit last season, is penciled in as a starter,” said Crawford. “But with a long list of capable reserves in waiting, she will need to step up her game if she wants to keep her starting position. Sam is a good rebounder, who knows how to box out and start fast breaks.”

Sine volunteered, “Her post moves in the paint are improving. She can knock down the short jumper quite well, but needs to improve her ball handling and her understanding of what is needed for her to make this a very good team.”

Greathouse appears to be the key to the team’s success. Her father played for Louisiana State University when Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neil was there. Her mother was also a very good basketball player. With that type of gene, Greathouse could bring some excitement to the game. “She has all the skills needed as a post player,” said Sine. “She can rebound, box out, and is a very good inside and outside shooter. If teams don’t take her seriously from the outside, she will light it up. In addition, she handles the rock quite well and runs the floor extremely well. She knows the game and does all the other things most post players can’t do,” concluded Sine.

Sine and Crawford are counting on the intuitiveness of their players as a basic strength of the team. “They’ve picked up a more fundamental knowledge of the game and are gaining a better understanding of what to do in game situations,” Sine added. “We have to not be afraid to take the shot when we have it, We’re looking for everybody to get a chance at scoring. I want them all putting points on the scoreboard, not expecting someone else to do it. We will run the floor with reckless abandon and take good quality shots. We are working hard on all our fundamentals and do them right the first time. We will be a better free throwing team and make our charity tosses.”

Girls that look to get some varsity time include Barker, Hizer, Katie Shreves, and Hannah and Lynan Stanley. But don’t be surprised if you see Hickman, Yaron, McFadden, Little, Kayla, and Jennifer Dahms get a minute or two in the varsity games, as well.

Besides Barker, Sine has a pair of other freshmen in Hizer and Hannah Stanley that might break into the starting lineup. Hizer has all the tools, she runs the floor extremely well and finishes off drives with the ball in the hoop. She gets down and dirty if she needs to when playing defense and the coaches couldn’t find any weaknesses in her game.

Hannah Stanley appears to be another Craft. She is like having a coach on the floor and does everything that is asked of her to do. “If we can bring her around slow instead of putting her into the fire early in the season,” said Crawford, “she will be able to help us mid-season as a regular varsity player along with Hizer. I know that they both can contribute now, but I also want them to be able to compete.”

Katie Shreves will also get some playing time on the varsity. Said Crawford, “I would love to keep her on the jayvee team all the time, but she is working harder than any player we have on the team at practice. And, we must reward that with varsity play too. She can play either forward or center position and if we ever go into a box-and-one on a forward, she is our girl.”

The team is very coachable and willing to give the extra effort needed, according to Sine. “They’re all out there, giving their best, they’re still looking for their confidence. We have seen a lot of improvement from many of the girls that will be playing mostly jayvee ball. But we want them to be able to succeed and we don’t want to put them in a position that they aren’t comfortable with yet, ” said Sine.

In the weakness department, youth, of course, will be the main monkey-on-the-back of the Lady ‘Cats. “We’re young, so inexperience goes hand in hand with that,” Sine said. “The same goes for our tendency to panic in certain situations. But, these things can and will be fixed with playing time.”

Not knowing if they were going to have the numbers to play a junior varsity schedule, it looks like the girls could possibly play 8-10 junior varsity games and that will give the many underclassmen a chance to see quite a bit of playing time, helping them out in the long run.

The coaches feel the success that the PCHS cheerleaders and the volleyball team had should rub off on the basketball court as well.

The Lady Wildcats will play their first game of the season on the road against Richland Christian Nov. 28 and will host the Bob and Sharon Burton Holiday Tournament Dec. 2-3. Fans of the game will find good competition on tap with teams from Valley, Hundred, and Clay Battelle participating.