GPS basketball coach Susan Crownover knew that with a 2011 state championship and a loaded roster, complacency might become an issue for the 2011-12 Bruisers. To alleviate that, she loaded a schedule so that every game is a battle.
The Division II-AA state champions return four starters, including two NCAA Division I signees in point guard Chadarryl Clay (Auburn) and post Jeneh Perry (Loyola, Md.). Simone Busby, the state tournament most valuable player, also returns.
“I talked to the girls recently and asked them how many have won back-to-back state championships, and only a couple of softball players raised their hand,” Crownover said. “I don’t think they understand how hard it is. Now we’ve gone from the hunter to the hunted.”
GPS’s pre-Christmas schedule includes a Thanksgiving tournament at Bradley Central, which includes five teams that qualified for their respective state tournaments or sectionals; Division II-A state champion Knoxville Webb; and the Times Free Press Best of Preps tournament.
Tack onto that the East/Middle Region slate, which includes trips to Brentwood Academy and Ensworth, and the idea of repeating last season’s 23-1 record seems difficult.
“The intention of our schedule was to have the girls prepared for the postseason,” Crownover said. “If we come out complacent, we will feel the effects of a loss. I knew I had an experienced group, and I wanted to push them early. We’ve had some players and parents that both wanted an opportunity to play some of these teams, so here’s our chance.”
Clay and Perry agree that while the task might be harder, the team feels equipped to repeat last season’s success.
“This has basically been our team for the past three years,” Perry said. “The previous senior classes haven’t been all that large, so this has been our team for awhile. It hasn’t been hard for the new girls to jell. We don’t think we’re hard to get along with, so it helps a lot.”
Added Clay: “We all have a good chemistry and a lot of experience. We know what it takes to be champions, and we know we’re going to have to work harder because we do have a target this year.
“We know that anything we achieve will be earned — not given to us.”