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Changing of the guard
Regan Hill
Statesville senior Raven Brown passes the ball during Monday's practice.
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Published: November 17, 2009
Most teams on Statesville's schedule aren't necessarily focused on who the Greyhounds have coming back this year, but rather who isn't coming back.
Point guard Keyrra Gillespie, the state record-holder in career assists and backbone of Statesville's girls basketball program over the last four years, is off to Clemson.
Must be a rebuilding year for Statesville, right?
Well, not exactly.
The Greyhounds are loaded with skilled athletes, and team members are hungrier than ever to exceed expectations.
"We know we have that target on our backs," senior Janitsha Williams said. "Everyone is saying, 'This is our year to beat Statesville.' We have to make sure that doesn't happen."
With Williams back for her third year at Statesville, the Greyhounds don't plan on many losses.
Williams was Statesville's leading scorer last year and an absolute assassin late in the game.
She scored 30-plus points in two playoff victories last year and, in addition to Gillespie, was one of the most important players on Statesville's back-to-back 3A West Regional teams.
"I think we have the potential to be really good," Williams said. "We're trying to make sure we each know exactly what we're doing. I just hope it's a really good year. I think it will be."
The offense runs through Williams, but Statesville still must find a point guard.
There isn't just one person in mind, either.
Raven Brown primarily took over point guard duties last year when Gillespie was injured or resting on the bench.
She's back in that role this year, but the Greyhounds have a few others capable of handling the ball.
Mandy Jones, a lockdown defender on the wing, will fit in that rotation. So will Brianna Renwick, a transfer from West Iredell and point guard by nature.
"Brianna, she has a chance to step in and make some significant minutes," Greyhounds coach Todd Jones said. "And Raven has done pretty well, too. We'll be OK, but we might have to play point guard by committee."
Expect most of the offense to change this year, too.
Statesville was thin up front even last year, and lost reliable post player Tamesha Bailey to graduation.
But with Brown, Jones, Renwick and Cameron Bradley spreading the floor with their ability to make 3-pointers, the Greyhounds expect to run.
"We got way more options," Brown said. "We may not be big down low, but either way, we have plenty of shooters. We have some good post players. We have a bunch of go-to players. We're pretty balanced."
With that in mind, Statesville spent a large part of the offseason retooling its offense.
The halfcourt sets, in particular, will look quite different then in years past.
"We're changing everything this year," Jones said. "We're going to have to. I feel like we're eager and we're ready to go. I know we'll be tested early."
The first test is tonight at home against a stout East Meck team. Statesville also has nonconference tilts lined up against powerful teams like Hickory and Lake Norman.
The plan, though, is to take on those good teams early and be prepared when North Piedmont Conference play starts.
Then, the road back to regionals begins.
"I think a lot of people think we lost basically our whole team, but we still have a lot of talent," Williams said. "I think we're going to be better than people think we're going to be."
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