A lot of names and faces remain from a squad which just missed a .500 finish last year, going 11-12 with a 5-7, fifth-place showing in the Southwestern Buckeye League Buckeye Division.
Where they are on the floor, however, is going to have a completely different look.
“We have experience, but we still have some young spots,” Carlisle coach Randy Glover said. “We are going to have different personnel holding the ball, different personnel running up the floor in different positions.
“Everything is going to be different. The flow of the game, the flow with how we handle the ball and getting there, are all things we need to continue to work on.”
GIRLS BASKETBALL SEASON PREVIEWS
Senior Christa Harris takes over at point guard this year.
The 5-foot-7 Harris was second on the team in assists as a junior, dishing out an average of 2.3 to go along with a team-high 13.1 points per game.
“For three years, she knew who was going to have the ball and what her role was,” Glover said. “Now she is going to have to run that role, and she is capable of doing it.”
Sophomores Caitlyn Stewart and Cami Glover also return to their starting roles after combining to average 13.5 points as freshmen. Stewart is a 5-4 guard, while Glover is a 5-11 center.
Dayton Christian transfer Abby Erisman, a 5-9 junior forward, averaged 6.8 points and 7.8 rebounds through 12 games last year before suffering a season-ending injury.
“Getting her back on the floor is the first step,” Randy Glover said. “It is going to take her some time to adjust to a new school, new teammates and a new system.”
Senior forward Savannah Parrish (5-6), who came off the bench to contribute 4.6 points and 5.3 rebounds a game last season, will move from role player to the starting lineup.
After that, the question marks begin.
Junior guard Maleah Cotton (5-4), junior forward Courtney O’Bryan (5-6), junior guard Skyler Kidwell (5-5) and junior center Katelynn Moore (5-6) all saw time in fewer than 10 games for the Indians in 2016-17, while 5-6 junior forward Sarah Laughlin makes the move up from the JV squad.
“We’ve only got four with a lot of varsity experience, and you need five to play,” Glover said. “We have some that are going to have to learn about going from coming off the bench to starting. We’re learning and it is a new mixture, but the talent we have works together really well.”
Glover knows the growing process is going to take a while to complete, but he has been pleased with how the squad has advanced through the preseason.
“It is a matter of them all playing together as one, but we are seeing things that we like,” Glover said. “We just have to continue to work hard because we feel we can be a competitive team.”
The Indians will open the season at Twin Valley South on Nov. 24. Glover said the SWBL Buckeye should be a quality division.
“Waynesville didn’t lose a whole lot, and they were really good last year,” he said. “But there are a lot of other really good teams in the league. We know we are going to be in some dogfights.”
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