Roger Bacon got three No. 1 votes and finished first in the poll, followed (in order) by defending champion Purcell Marian, McNicholas and Badin.
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The Rams have a Division I signee in senior forward Emma Broermann (North Florida) and also return junior guard Shelby Nusbaum, who misssed most of last season with a knee injury after a strong freshman campaign. Also back are senior guards Grace Larkin and Emily Maher.
But Badin is playing without Larkin, who’s likely out until January with a broken finger. Another guard, Macy Harper, is headed to Xavier University to play soccer and opted not to play basketball this year.
“We will be a little quicker than last year’s team, but still need to develop a perimeter game from our junior guards,” Sunderman said.
Bacon is loaded with college-attracting talent, led by sophomore guard Kylee Sheppard, 6-3 sophomore forward/center Clarissa Craig, junior guard/forward Lyric Harris and junior guard Kelly Brenner. The Spartans also picked up a transfer from Seton (junior forward Jasmine Eubanks).
Jacob Cheesman, Bacon’s third-year coach, said Sheppard, Craig and Harris have 21 Division I offers between them.
“Our conference epitomizes what you want in conference play,” Cheesman said. “Four great teams, each with a different style of play, and coaches that know just about as much as they can about the other teams. Despite only having four teams in the GCL Coed Central, there isn’t a more competitive league in the city.”
Purcell returns five starters from its championship squad. Leading the way are senior forward Sha’Dai Hale (15.8) and senior guard Amil Ali-Shakir (14.8), who were the top two scorers in the league last year.
The Cavaliers also added a transfer, sophomore guard Kara King from New Richmond.
McNicholas has six players with starting experience back this year. That includes senior guard Liz Huber, who missed the second half of the 2017-18 campaign with an injury. Senior forward Christina Poole is back as well — she played significant minutes as a sophomore, but was hurt last year and didn’t play at all.
THE PRESEASON POLL
Here’s how the coaches voted in the preseason Greater Catholic League Coed Central Division girls basketball poll, with point totals and first-place votes (in parentheses):
1. Roger Bacon (3) 14
2. Purcell Marian 11
3. McNicholas (1) 8
4. Badin 7
A LOOK AT THE TEAMS
Here’s a team-by-team preseason look at the GCLC Central teams, with information provided by the coaches:
1. ROGER BACON SPARTANS
Coach: Jacob Cheesman (third season)
2017-18 Record: 17-8 overall, 5-5 GCLC Central (second place, tied)
Returning Starters: Kelly Brenner (5-11 junior guard), Clarissa Craig (6-3 sophomore forward/center), Lyric Harris (6-0 junior guard/forward), Jalyn Jackson (5-7 senior guard), Kylee Sheppard (5-9 sophomore guard)
Top Newcomer: Jasmine Eubanks (6-0 junior forward)
Team Strengths: Size, speed, athleticism, mentality, balanced scoring at all positions
2. PURCELL MARIAN CAVALIERS
Coach: Jamar Mosley (second season)
2017-18 Record: 18-7 overall, 6-4 GCLC Central (first place)
Returning Starters: Amil Ali-Shakir (5-7 senior guard), Santia Cravens (5-4 junior guard), Kya Dukes (5-9 senior forward), Sha'Dai Hale (5-10 senior forward), Jaimone Jones (5-6 sophomore wing)
Top Newcomer: Kara King (5-8 sophomore guard), Taja Walton (5-4 freshman guard)
Team Strengths: Quickness, experience, 3-point shooting
Area Of Concern: Lack of size
3. MCNICHOLAS ROCKETS
Coach: Gregg Flammer (10th season)
2017-18 Record: 13-11 overall, 5-5 GCLC Central (second place, tied)
Returning Starters (all started at various points): Julia Brune (5-7 senior guard), Emily Byrne (5-9 senior forward), Alyssa Herper (5-7 senior guard), Liz Huber (5-7 senior guard), Emma McSwigan (5-5 sophomore guard), Maggie Schoolfield (5-7 senior forward)
Top Newcomer: Christina Poole (5-8 senior forward)
Team Strengths: Experience, quickness, athleticism
Area Of Concern: Lack of size
4. BADIN RAMS
Coach: Tom Sunderman (11th season)
2017-18 Record: 17-7 overall, 5-5 GCLC Central (second place, tied)
Returning Starters: Emma Broermann (6-2 senior forward), Grace Larkin (5-9 senior guard), Emily Maher (5-7 senior guard), Shelby Nusbaum (6-0 junior guard)
Top Newcomer: Jada Pohlen (5-9 freshman forward)
Team Strengths: Size, better quickness this year
Area Of Concern: Perimeter shooting
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