It might be only a humble beginning, but the overwhelming consensus is that there has been improvement in girls’ basketball in Hamilton County so far in the 2010-11 season. Surprising starts, competitive games and more solid players have given — if nothing else — a reason to be optimistic about the sport in upcoming years.
There has been no girls’ state champion from inside the county since GPS in 2000 and no public school champion since Brainerd in 1984. Baylor and Grace Academy were the last local schools in girls’ state finals, both in 2001.
But in recent years, the problem hasn’t been postseason success but overall competitiveness: Seeing local teams go scoreless in quarters was almost commonplace.
This season, the feeling is that parity has finally spread across the county. There are no great teams but a plethora of solid ones and none that are — for lack of a better phrase — downright awful.
“I personally think that the teams are a lot more equal to each other this year,” said Brainerd’s Carolyn Jackson, coach of the 1984 state champions. “On any given night, a team can win a game. I think it’s just a sign of the times; you have all of these schools, so the talent is spread out.
“We as coaches are forced to play the hand that we’re dealt. Teams are just equal across the board.”
There are 23 high schools that play basketball in Hamilton County — 10 in Class AA alone. Coaches agree that the abundance of schools has prevented any from consistent postseason contention.
“You have so many school options that kids and parents want to find the place where they can be the star,” Chattanooga Christian coach Pam Hindman said. “It’s not a bad thing, but these kids want to find a place where they can play.
“A long time ago, kids just went where they were zoned; now they have tons of options, so they want to go where they can play and play early so they can develop. You can’t simulate playing time in practice — there’s no substitute for game experience — so parents are always shopping around for where kids can play.”
Added Jackson: “You just don’t have the cluster where you have five all-stars on one team that can beat up on everybody around.”
Hindman contends that a possible reason for the improvement is coaches’ ability to get the “athlete” out to play basketball this season.
“The good, athletic kid is playing basketball now as well as other sports,” she said. “Any coach knows that if you don’t have athletes, you’re not going to win.”
Some players have emerged as standouts within the city and, as a result, their teams are some of the best. GPS junior point guard Chadarryl Clay already is mulling over some SEC and ACC college offers.
Tyner’s Brittany McKinney and Brainerd’s Tiara Boston are among the area’s best, as are CCS’s Chelsea Jones, Presley Watson and sharpshooter Mercedes Owens.
Baylor already has reached the 10-win mark and played rival GPS (11-1) to an overtime period in the final of the Times Free Press Best of Preps tournament over the holidays.
The surprise of the season thus far has been East Hamilton, which has ridden senior post Alexis Adams and sophomore guard Tiffany Lewis to an unblemished District 6-AA record. The Lady Hurricanes are tied for first along with fellow surprise Howard, which under new coach Ashley Wilbur has jumped out to an 8-1 record.
Hixson, which was 1-82 the past three seasons, including a 74-game losing streak, won two games early this season.
Hamilton County also has been able to do something uncommon in years past — get over the hump against the schools in Bradley County. GPS has defeated Walker Valley, while CCS slipped past Cleveland in the first round of the Best of Preps tournament.
“Some of that was the fact that teams were real young,” GPS coach Susan Crownover said. “Some of these teams finally have upperclassmen. The youth is older and they’re not just playing basketball in school.
“I think that everything goes in cycles. Chattanooga has been a hotbed for softball, and as a result basketball has been behind.”
Frustration might have had something to do with basketball falling behind, according to Hindman.
“Basketball isn’t one of those sports you can just pick up and play and start producing,” she said. “That’s not to say that you don’t have to be skilled in other sports, but you have to work to be a top-notch basketball player because there are so many skills involved; handling the ball, eye-hand coordination, shooting form. It’s not a speed game and not a size game. There are a lot of variables involved to be good.”
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