Photo by Kyle Parmley.
Pinson Valley Basketball
Pinson Valley’s Kaitlyn Ambrose (12) drives during a McAdory Tip-Off Invitational game between Pinson Valley and Oak Mountain on Monday, Nov. 6, at McAdory High School in McCalla.
Sara Halasz is quickly changing the perception of Pinson Valley High School girls basketball.
The Lady Indians have grown weary of a decade’s worth of losing seasons, and a year of growing pains in Halasz’s first season has them hoping that the 2017-18 season has something better in store.
Wins did not come in bunches last winter, but to any observer, it was readily apparent that the Lady Indians were improving by the day and becoming more comfortable in a new system.
“We’re focusing on the little things,” Halasz said. “The girls are starting to understand the system and understand the program and where we could be. That really showed early in the summer.”
Halasz was named head coach just weeks before the outset of last season, and having a full offseason with no change has been extremely beneficial for Pinson Valley.
“It’s a night and day difference,” she said.
On the floor, Kaylin Hamby has emerged as a leader for the Lady Indians and is “the one who always brings everybody together,” according to Halasz. Janaiya Mintze is not the most vocal player, but her actions speak for themselves. Halasz even noted Ashly Robertson and Jasmine Baylor are stepping into leadership roles as well, despite being young.
“We’re such a close-knit family that they know how to talk to each other and work well together,” Halasz said.
One of the biggest hurdles Pinson Valley has to jump is the belief — or lack thereof — that it has the ability to string wins together and achieve goals that haven’t been reached in some time.
“It’s a lot of time, a lot of patience, a lot of practice and a lot of them believing in themselves,” Halasz said. “That’s what it comes down to. I tell them, ‘I can’t do it for you, I can’t be out there with you, so there’s a point y’all have to believe.’”
A great deal of time, a number of motivational speeches and daily inspirational quotes are how Halasz attempts to shape her team’s mindset. As far as the team’s long-term goals, she is emphasizing the importance of each day.
“Rome wasn’t built overnight,” she said. “The end goal is to get past area [tournament play] each year. But in order for them to visualize that, they have to write it down and see themselves getting there. That happens one day at a time, and that starts when you get ready to practice. That starts there with hard work, and it transitions over to a game.”
There is evidence that her point is getting across. The Lady Indians are beginning to enjoy the weight room, Halasz said, because they are seeing the results from strength and conditioning training.
“They’re starting to see the progress,” she said. “They start to see the strength they’re getting when they attack the basket.”
If progression continues, the Lady Indians may have something for the competition in Class 6A, Area 12, with Clay-Chalkville, Center Point and Gardendale.
“If they come out and play like they did this summer, we could surprise a lot of people,” Halasz said.
Kayla Hawkins, Kaitlyn Ambrose, Breanna Green, Lauryn Green, Courtney Whatley, Jaylin Abdur Rasheed and Syan Phillips round out the varisty roster.
