Lady Huskies embrace high expectations
It’s safe to say Tonya Hunter has raised the bar significantly for the Hewitt-Trussville High School girls basketball program.
Now in her third year as head coach, the conversations about the postseason are much different than when Hunter started.
“It’s kind of funny. When we first got here, I challenged [the girls] to tell me how you get to the Final Four, to tell me how to do it, and they couldn’t,” Hunter said. “If you ask them now, they can map out every single moment of the playoffs.”
The Lady Huskies reached the Northeast Regional for just the second time in school history last season, and nearly reached the Final Four in Birmingham. Hewitt-Trussville led Buckhorn at the half, but a rough second half allowed Buckhorn to pull away and win the regional final.
“They experienced that last year, and they are so hungry for it,” Hunter said. “They want it right now, but you can’t win a state championship right now. You can’t win it tomorrow.”
“We’ve just got to get better, bring everybody along better, and try to play our best at the end of the year,” she said.
Hunter knows what she’s getting from the five girls who will likely make up the starting lineup, as all return as contributors from a year ago. Point guard Morgan Kirk is entering her third year on the varsity team and is still just a sophomore.
“She’s picking it up. She’s started speaking like me. She’s doing stuff; she’s correcting people; she’s getting people in the right spots. I’m excited for her this year,” Hunter said.
London Coleman entered the fray last year for the Lady Huskies and instantly turned into one of the team’s best all-around players. Her versatility and ability to score in multiple ways gives Hunter some flexibility. She said she is comfortable playing Coleman at any position on the floor.
“She’s that type of kid where we can put her in any spot, and she’s going to be successful, and she’s going to make her teammates be successful,” Hunter said.
Bailey Berry and Christina Till give Hewitt-Trussville a pair of weapons to really stretch a defense, as both are proficient outside shooters. Berry has started drawing interest from colleges due to her skill set, but Hunter is not content with just shooting the long-range shot.
“We don’t try to settle for the [three-point shot],” she said. “We want them to be players. I don’t want to stick them in the corner and allow them not to be players. Bailey’s gotten a whole lot better on her ballhandling, too.”
Mallory Posey will get the majority of the minutes in the post for Hewitt-Trussville and brings a great deal of experience to the table.
Beyond those five, new faces will lead the way. Leah Harrison and Erica Jones are two freshmen expected to contribute, with Harrison backing up Kirk and Coleman in the backcourt and Jones spelling Posey down low. Hayden Neugent and Whitney Winchester are both expected to chip in as well.