Lady Huskies hungry for postseason return

Tonya Hunter, the head coach of the Hewitt-Trussville High School girls basketball team, has some ideals she calls “non-negotiables.”

An early-season practice makes a few of those standards very clear. Something as seemingly minor as acknowledging communication from the head coach about the upcoming week’s practice times is a big deal. Playing sound defense on the court matters.

“Non-negotiable,” Hunter said of those things. “We can’t even discuss anything else.”

Hunter believes the details determine whether or not a team will reach its full potential. Hewitt-Trussville by no means had a poor 2019-20 season, but the Lady Huskies were left sitting at home during the state playoffs, while area rivals Spain Park and Vestavia Hills achieved postseason success.

The Lady Jags won their second state championship in three years, while Vestavia Hills eliminated Hewitt in the area tournament and made it to the regional final.

Both of those teams will likely be strong yet again this season, so the Lady Huskies will need to do everything they can to ensure they are built to break through into the playoffs in 2020-21.

“We’re going to take one step at a time,” Hunter said. “We’re going to focus on us and take that step together, and we’re going to see what that gives us every single game.”

Hunter’s early-season practices consist of putting an emphasis on small details. She also plans on practices this season to be ultra-competitive.

“Every day in practice, we’re having game day,” she said. “At the end of practice, did we lose or did we win? That’s what we practice for, is our games, so we’ve got to do a better job of practicing hard here so we’ll be ready for our games.”

Last season had promise for the Lady Huskies, but they were struck with misfortune at inopportune times. They finished with a 19-9 record, and the loss in the area tournament was merely a three-point loss.

For example, guard April Hooks became a key contributor throughout the season for Hewitt-Trussville. But she was injured a week before the area tournament and missed that final game, a 58-55 loss to Vestavia.

“We had a lot of young, inexperienced kids playing huge minutes in vital roles,” Hunter said. “They still competed. When Vestavia beat us, I thought it was a high level game. It really was, because you saw how far they went. We’ll match any area in the state right now. That’s why we have to prepare for that.”

This year’s iteration of the Lady Huskies features three seniors, with Amiya Payne, Londyn Johnson-Yates and Amir Brown the team’s eldest players. All three are expected to be key players for the team.

“Amiya, I love the way that she’s developed. She’s playing freer, and she’s having fun. She’s matured a whole lot,” Hunter said.

Payne is committed to Middle Tennessee and has been a varsity player since she was a seventh-grader (she arrived at Hewitt in eighth grade). Hunter said if she had a diagram of the court, she could circle the whole thing to note the areas from which Payne is capable of scoring. She will play all four guard positions this season for Hewitt.

“I’ve coached a lot of kids who can score, but she can score from all over the place,” Hunter said. “Middle Tennessee is going to love her once she gets there. She hasn’t even scratched the surface.”

Hooks (sophomore) and Jordan Hunter (freshman) are two young guards who will be key guards for the Lady Huskies as well, along with Johnson-Yates. Hunter said they are all shooting the ball much better during the preseason. Another guard to look out for is Audre Benson, a sophomore who came up to the varsity team at the end of last season. 

D’yona Jones is one of the most intriguing players for the Lady Huskies. Following a breakout freshman season, she was injured almost all of last season. Now, as a junior, Hunter expects Jones to move out to the wing. She can still play in the post as well.

Hunter said Brown has made the biggest jump of any player over the offseason. Brown, Chrischandria James and Jones will be the primary post players for the Lady Huskies.

“She used her COVID period and worked her tail off,” Hunter said of Brown. “She lost some weight, she’s being very consistent in the paint, so we’re really excited about that.”

If the Lady Huskies continue to take care of the details, Hunter believes the team has the potential to achieve those larger goals.

“We’re playing better team ball right now,” she said. “If we can get the ball moving and get better with it every game, I think we’ll be pretty good toward the end of the year.”