Kelley Graham
The Merrol Hyde Magnet girls basketball team returns after a one-year hiatus from varsity action.
Freshman post player Kendall Frisbee is expected to play extensive minutes this season.
The Lady Hawks were unable to field enough players to play at the varsity level last season but will do so this year with new head coach Kelley Graham.
Graham ascends to the prep level after coaching the middle-school program at Merrol Hyde Magnet, bringing four incoming freshmen with her.
Those freshmen make up half of the team’s current roster, so depth is the immediate challenge for the Lady Hawks.
“The good thing is that the freshmen have played together for two years, so they know each other already,” Graham said. “They know each other’s weaknesses. They know each other’s strengths.”
There are no seniors on the Lady Hawk squad and only two juniors, Alex Lloyd and Emilie Boone.
Freshman Gabrielle Steiner is the likely starter at point guard for the Lady Hawks.
However, Boone will be unavailable due to a spinal injury and will likely miss the entire year unless she is cleared by doctors to return late in the season.
Graham said it’s more likely that Boone will rejoin the team next year, so for now, she has seven players to work with.
“Our challenge is to keep each other’s heads up,” Graham said. “Next year, hopefully Emilie (Boone) can come back and be a starting guard. We have a couple of eighth-graders that could come up, and there’s a few that I’m hoping I can pull that are playing other sports. I’m hoping that we can add to our team.”
Of the current players, freshman Gabrielle Steiner is the front-runner to start at point guard.
“Gabrielle’s a great ball handler,” Graham said. “She’s really worked hard. She’s really creative and really tough.”
Another freshman, Caroline Riley, could start at shooting guard, though Graham says that’s an ongoing competition. Sophomore Emily Fenton is another possible option in the Lady Hawks’ backcourt.
Junior Alex Lloyd is one of three post players for the Lady Hawks.
Freshman Grace Riley will likely start at forward, and the Lady Hawks will employ a two-post lineup with three possible candidates.
“The post positions, they’ll go between Alex Lloyd, (freshman) Kendall Frisbee and (sophomore) Lauren Buchanen,” Graham said. “They’ll fight it out for those two positions.”
Graham believes the Lady Hawks will have size and speed, so they will focus on the back end first.
“One of the things we’re really going to stress is defense and protecting the ball,” Graham said. “If we can do those two things, we can build a good base.”
Graham believes that Goodpasture will be the favorite in District 8-A.
Sophomore Emily Fenton dribbles around a chair during a practice drill on Tuesday afternoon.
“We know Goodpasture is going to be tough,” Graham said. “We just need to control what we can control.”
Graham now has control of a program that is not only rebuilding, but restarting as well.
“One of my goals this season is to bring fun back into Merrol Hyde Magnet School girls basketball,” Graham said. “I’ve been playing, watching and coaching basketball since I was young. I remember how much fun it was to go out and compete with my teammates. Every day and game has a new challenge, but as long as it’s still fun, it’s always going to be worth it.”
The Lady Hawks open play at Donelson Christian Academy on Nov. 23 and will travel to Red Boiling Springs on Jan. 5 for their district opener.
Reach Chris Brooks at cbrooks@tennessean.com or at 615-575-7118. Follow him on Twitter @CB_SumnerSports.