⚜ Boys ⚜
As the calendar ticks to single-digits between now and the beginning of the season, here is what coach Smedshammer had to say about his team.
What are some of the highlights of last season for your team? "I thought a team highlight from last year was just our ability to battle through another year of injury adversity. We had 3 players not even start the season due to season-ending injuries, plus had 2 other players miss the majority of the season due to injury, and that is on top of all the “little” injuries sustained that resulted in missed playing time. Not an excuse for us, but just the reality of what our players were going through. Regardless of who was playing, the team kept a positive attitude and worked hard."
How do you plan on building upon what you taught your returning players last season? "The one silver lining with all of the injuries is that we have a lot of kids coming back who have experience on the varsity court, so we feel like we can add things to what we’re already doing on top of trying to fine tune the “old” stuff."
What effect do you think the lack of summer camps & extra workouts will have on your players? "Lack of summer competition is probably hard on every team, but we feel with our experience coming back, we can just jump right in and go. We have 8 players coming back from last year who at some point started for us. We could possibly be a little rusty early on, like all teams could be, but I think we’ll get back up to speed fairly quickly."
Who are some of the players who will need to step up to replace the ones that moved on? "I don’t think there is anyone or two particular players who have to step up, I really think that if we want to be competitive in this league, ALL of our players, from c-team on up, have to improve on what they did last year."
Is there a certain aspect of the game that you think will be the strength of your team? "Early on, the strength of this group should be the fact that we have a lot of varsity experience, and so we need to get to full speed as soon as possible. As the season progresses, we hope to become a better defensive team, we must make that one of our strengths. As a whole, this group of players has a great attitude and a good work ethic."
How have Adie Wagner & the other leaders shown leadership qualities to you in the past? "Alice Carlson and Paige Schroeder, both seniors, have really stepped up into leadership roles, both on the court and off it. If we need something to get done as a team, they are the ones usually to get it done. Adie Wagner, junior and our leading scorer, has the burden on her shoulders of having to do a lot for us on the court, and she has shown her leadership ability just by grinding through those responsibilities on a daily basis while still getting everyone involved in practices and games."
Is there anything else you would like people to know about your program or your players? "Adie Wagner went over the 1000 point mark last year as a sophomore, and has a legitimate chance to catch Meghan Roehrich (2011) as our school’s all time leading scorer before her career is done."
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