The first year on the bench as head coach of the Montcalm girls basketball team was a challenge for Tara Havens.
While working with a small roster is nothing new for the Generals, last year it was more than they could overcome.
Starting with just seven girls, a pair of injuries led to an eventual shutdown of the program just prior the postseason run.
“I have to commend their efforts,” Havens said. “It was tough in regards to manpower, but I could not have asked for a better group of girls.”
The good news for Montcalm is the numbers have improved and Havens is excited for the year ahead.
“Going from six to nine girls feels like a lot to me,” Havens said. “My girls worked tremendously hard last year. With added depth I definitely plan on being more aggressive. We will be able to change defenses to keep the other teams off balance and get some transition buckets.”
Summer Williams is back to man the post after suffering a late season knee injury last year.
“She came back to play some volleyball for us. She will be the go-to player on the court and our leader on the floor,” Havens said. “I look forward to having back for a multitude of reasons.”
Williams will be joined by fellow-senior Tori Sizemore who has played solid minutes since she was a freshman.
“Tori is our three-guard, but can also step in and run the point for us,” Havens said. “Very versatile player and even though she is not super tall, she can crash the boards. She is a hustler and gets great position on the boards.”
Carly McPeak played an invaluable role as the sixth-man last year and Havens plans to use her in a similar fashion this year.
“She was the only returning player that did not have a lot of varsity time prior to last year, but had to step into a major role of being everybody’s relief,” Havens explained. “That got her a lot of experience and I look for her to basically fill that role again. She can come in to help Summer especially in the post and still give us that big presence.”
Hayley Kendrick will run the point, while Taylor White will be the shooting guard for the Generals.
“I’m glad Hayley got the experience last year as a sophomore. I look for more from her just getting us into our offesnive sets and getting good looks. We are going to work the ball inside out a lot, so I am looking forward to her handling that for us,” Havens said. “Taylor is a monster on defense. She has a real knack for the ball and will give teams trouble up front. She will be helps us convert defense to offense.”
Junior Madyson Hudgins was a first-year player for Havens last year, but was a solid contributor for the Generals.
“Her growth was amazing. It was her first year playing since middle school,” Havens said. “She is another inside-out player. She can step out and shoot or we can feed it down to her in the post. She really hustles and hits the floor more than my volleyball players.”
Havens is hoping to see similar results with Addison Thomason who will also see her first high school action since middle school.
“She will be another guard,” Havens said. “Having more than one option coming off the bench will help us. Addison is really quick and gives us more depth on defense.”
With a larger roster this year, Havens is looking forward to playing a more aggressive style of basketball this season.
“Last year we had to play a lot more conservative because of foul trouble and just not running out of gas in games,” Havens said. “I know what they are capable of. They all have heart and hustle and that is half the battle. That is a big part of being a competitive team and think they will be.”
Montcalm opens on the road at Twin Valley, Va. on Dec. 2. The home opener will be against Liberty on Dec. 5.
