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Gallatin Lady Bulldog Coach Rick Lin considered last season to be the opening act of a rebuilding effort. This year, he says with no reluctance, is phase two.
"We do have some people returning from last year, but with the number of freshmen we have coming in, we’re still in the rebuilding process," he stated. "Experience will be a factor early in the season," he adds. "How successful we are going to be will depend on how fast we can mature."
Only two players return who started a year ago, but several have varsity experience to fall back on. Coach Lin leaves no doubt that this is a different team than he fielded a season ago.
"We’re very, very young but energetic," Coach Lin said. "I don’t know where we are and how we fit in with other teams right now, but we are going to be a fun team to watch," he adds.
Ten of the 13 players on the Lady Bulldog roster are either freshmen or sophomores, and therein lies an important connection.
"Most of these girls have played together since a very young age," said Lin. "They have a shared passion for the game. I think people will see that and enjoy their efforts," he added.
Returning starter Tory Wood is the only senior on the team and is battling for a spot in the post, where competition has been fierce.
"We definitely want her to be a rebound leader for us," Coach Lin said of the tallest (5-9) player on the GHS roster. "She has a better knowledge of the system and knows what we are wanting to do," he adds. "If Tory is playing as hard as she can, she is a very effective player for us. When she does that, she is a very capable scorer and rebounder."
Sisters Elena and Jade Steele, both juniors, will see most of their playing time at the junior varsity level. Both are hard workers, Coach Lin says. Jade is dealing with an injury to start the season and when she can will be asked to play both guard and forward positions. Elena could see some varsity time as a backup guard.
Sophomore Kaitlyn Hefley is another returning starter whose versatility will be very valuable to this young squad.
"She’s a very good rebounder and is very aggressive going after the ball," her coach stated. "Her strength is her willingness to play tough defense," Coach Lin added. "She’s capable of guarding a post player but will probably be asked to guard the other team’s best guard on most nights."
Sophomore Kailey Elbert saw a lot of varsity action last season and is one of four players vying for a starting post spot.
"She’s a very smart, athletic player," said Lin. "She plays the front end of our press better than anyone," he added. "What I like about her, offensively, is that she is capable of stepping out and scoring from 17 feet."
Bailey Morrison, also a sophomore, played guard at the varsity level a year ago. A hard worker with good quickness and jumping ability, she draws special praise from her coach.
"I consider her to be one of our most coachable players," he commented.
Coach Lin says that at least four freshmen are fighting for starting spots, despite the lack of experience at the varsity level.
"Each will bring something that will help the team immediately," Coach Lin says. "Among them, we have a good mix of guard and post players," he added. "They have bonded quickly with our returning players."
Kailey Salmon, Sara Lin and Sabrina Steele represent the guard position from the freshman group. Steele will suit up for the jayvee squad. Salmon and Lin will see plenty of varsity time, and in fact are battling for starting spots at guard.
Aubrey Nelson, Kylie Collins, Josie Widner and Kristina Steele enter as freshmen post players. Widner and Steele are expected to help the junior varsity unit. Nelson and Collins are among four players on the squad looking for starting positions. Both are working hard and are expected to play big roles for the Lady Bulldogs.
Coach Lin sees a couple of pretty important keys that will determine how successful his team will be. The Lady Bulldogs, he says, must cut down on turnovers and they must take a higher number of shots per game.
"Most nights we’re going to get the ball down the floor and we’re going to get shots," he says. "I really feel from what I’ve seen from this group so far, they are going to get shots," he added.