Basketball previews: Knox girls
By Anthony Gadson
KNOX - The Knox girls basketball team is going to have to grow up fast this season with a very young team, and a new head coach.
The team is under first-year high school head coach Bruce Johnson, and graduated last year�s leading scorer, Christy Joseph, who is now playing for Ancilla College.
Johnson will look to sophomore Crystal Taulbee to lead the way for the Redskins this season. Taulbee was the Redskins� second leading scorer as a freshman last year and Johnson is expecting big things from her this year as well.
The Redskins are a young team after losing four starters to graduation. Two seniors, two juniors and three sophomores will fill out the varsity roster.
This year Taulbee is projected to start with Jenny Thomas, Kari Binkley, Kaley Fornelli, and Autumn Feuch. Britney Estok, Tracy Winkler and Jess Nease will come off the bench.
Knox will depend on an up-tempo game plan, with Taulbee being the only real post threat.
�We are going to be a quicker team,� Johnson explained. �It will probably be Taulbee and four guards. Everyone is going to be small and quick.�
Johnson doesn�t foresee any freshman stepping up to varsity this season. Knox will have a freshman team this year to help develop the girls for future years.
�I�m real proud of the 12 (freshmen) we got,� Johnson said about the girls that have come out for the team. �I know you can lose some girls from eighth grade to high school to other sports and activities.�
Knox will look to improve on its 9-12 record from a year ago, its first as a Class 3-A school.
�I think we were a 3-A school because we were over by about three students,� he said. �That really hurt us.�
Johnson is looking to flip-flop last year�s 9-12 record, but will need lots of help from his younger players.
�We are hoping that the sophomores can pick it up for us,� Johnson said.
Tough losses last year make the rookie mentor hopeful for this season, but he sees many tough games through the schedule.
�Last year we lost to Michigan City by one and Rochester by seven,� Johnson said about his team�s close calls last season. �Oregon Davis (Dec 13) will be strong, of course Triton (Dec 7) and New Prairie (Feb 7) is always tough.�
|
|
| Community Calendar |
|
No events listed.
|
|
Interactive Calendar
|
