Is it possible to be a first year head coach two years in a row?
In reality the answer is of course, no. However, for Oak Hill girls basketball head coach Darrell Compton it sure feels that way.
Taking over the reins last year, Compton was bursting with excitement. While he still enjoyed the season with his team, it was tempered some thanks to the pandemic.
“It is almost like we are still starting over again. There wasn’t a lot we could learn last year. We were just so jammed up with the virus that we couldn’t really get our system going,” Compton explained. “The girls really bought into what we were doing last year, but we never could get it going. We would play for two weeks, then we would sit out for two weeks. Nobody was in shape and we just couldn’t play the way we wanted to play.”
The game Compton wants his team to play is fast-paced, moving the ball up and down the floor.
“We want to get in your face and go. I am not much on set plays and that kinda stuff. I hate half-court offense,” Compton said. “Last year we had had to run half-court sets and we weren’t very good at it. We didn’t back down, but it helped me grow as a coach and showed the girls that we have to step up our game.”
The buy-in from his players was exemplified during the off-season.
“This summer they worked and did everything they needed to do,” Compton said. “They believe in what we are doing and that feels really good.”
Oak Hill is led by Samiah Lynch who is an all-state type player that is versatile and hard to guard in the open floor.
“Samiah can guard every position. She can play as long as she wants to play and she can create off the dribble,” Compton said.” “She can shoot outside or drive low and rebound. Last year we didn’t have a true point guard, so Samiah had to do it all. Now we are a lot better in that area, which will give her a little more freedom.”
Help at the point guard position will come from Hannah White who played last year and incoming freshman, Taysia Gray.
“Taysia is only a freshman, but she is a great point guard.,” Compton said. “Hannah had to learn my system last year and it was just a lot of stuff to put in her head. We just worked it out slowly and corrected what needed correcting. It was just the dynamic of learning a new system and not being to work at it every day. When you are trying to learn a new system, you just can’t take two weeks off and expect good results. She has grown tremendously from last year.”
Freshman Jordan Harris and Kerrisyn Feazell that came over from Fayetteville are expected to make solid contributions along with returning junior Kalilia Hames.
“Kalilia played a lot of minutes last year, but she wasn’t with me when I was at the middle school,” Compton said. “She was also trying to learn our system for the first time. She went to camps this summer and her knowledge of the game is key for us.”
While Compton states there are others on the roster that he feels will help take the load off of Lynch, another year of maturity for his players will be the big key.
“They are all a year older now and we have had more time with them. The (summer) three week period was huge. To learn the game of basketball you have to play games,” Compton said. “They played 30-plus games during that time. They went to tournaments and did everything they needed to learn how to play with each other. They are definitely committed.”
Still, with all of the work and commitment, Compton knows, competing against the likes of Woodrow Wilson, Greenbrier East and Princeton will still be a tough road to travel.
“We have five seniors this year and a bunch of juniors, sophomores and freshmen. As long as we continue to grow, we will be fine. It takes a while for them to learn what you are trying to do,” Compton said. “We want to be competitive. We weren’t competitive at all last year. That is the first step and we hope to continue to grow from there.”
