The beginnings of the 2023-24 prep basketball season just concluded with June practices, and several area girls programs look ready to expand on their 2022-23 seasons.
Every Northeast Georgia program in the Georgia High School Association (GHSA), the Georgia Independent Athletic Association (GIAA), and GAPPS took part in summer workouts, scrimmages, and playing in statewide tournaments.
There will be some new-look teams like Lumpkin County, who lost its head coach and graduated the heart of a group that made three straight semifinals, winning the Class 3A title in 2022 and finishing as 3A runners-up this past season.
But teams like Region 8-7A champion Buford, Region 8-4A champion Chestatee, and Region 8-2A champion Banks County all return the bulk of their rosters. In contrast, Cherokee Bluff, though not a playoff team in 2023, may be poised for a breakout season with a slew of young talent.
Buford reached the Class 7A semifinals, the best finish for the Lady Wolves since winning the Class 5A state title in 2020. Chestatee advanced to its first-ever Elite 8 in Class 4A last season.
So what goals do teams look to achieve during the month-long summer practices? Winning? It may not be what you think.
Longtime Lady Wolves head coach Gene Durden said elevating his players and program is always the goal. They return four starters and six overall that were in the starting rotation at times in 2023. Also, having a Division I prospect like Ava Grace Watson, now a senior and an Ohio State commit, doesn't hurt.
“Each team is different year-to-year,” Durden said. “We focused on seeing how all the parts fit together with different roles for some of the girls. Also, using the experience they got from their playoff experience last year. That was big for this group.
“Taking a step up in toughness was something we worked on. We played a lot of bigger teams over the summer because we need to be ready when we see teams like that during the season.”
It was a similar story for Sutton Shirley off Sardis Road. The Lady War Eagles coach has his top six players from 2023 returning, including the dynamic Riley Black.
“Our goals coming into the summer were to see how we would compete against some of the best teams and improve our shooting,” he said. “I think the girls have made great strides so far.”
Shirley’s group, like Durden’s, received the invite to the prestigious Georgia Girls Live event in Suwanee. Their program-best playoff run in 2023 was not overlooked, which Shirley said put his group in a unique and, hopefully, advantageous spot moving forward.
“We’ve been to camps like that before, but this time we were put in the upper-echelon group,” he said. “That’s the first time our program has been mentioned with some of the great teams in the state. And we saw some great teams like Carrollton, which probably was a turning point for our expectations.
“We lost by four or five points. The scores don’t matter to me, but knowing that we could compete with a (Class) 7A team like that changed our thinking on some things -- mine and the girls. We have ramped up our expectations as a result, and the girls are excited about getting back to it once school starts.”
Steve Shedd at Banks County guided the Lady Leopards to their first-ever state title game in 2023. Now, he is also using an appearance at the Georgia Girls Live event to keep his group charged and ready for another run at Macon.
"We all had a lot of fun getting to the finals, and our goal is to try and get back there," Shedd said. "The girls really want a chance to get back, and they have worked extremely hard so far. We may be ahead of where we were last year already after the summer."
With four major contributors back in seniors Addison Hoard (point guard), Carly Segars (post), and junior twins Reese and Ryleigh Murphy, Shedd said their approach to the season has been altered.
"Our goals have changed since last year. It's about looking at our strengths for this group and working on using those," he said. "We have a deep, experienced group, so we're able to come into this year with some higher expectations than in years past. We're playing faster with more pressure on defense and working on shooting the ball better. I really liked what I saw in the summer."
Change began after the 2023 season for the Lady Bears as Lindsey Justice, the only head coach the program had ever had, stepped down. Her assistant, Kassie Scott, was promoted.
However, a talented roster led by rising sophomore Claire Carlson and rising senior Kaitlin Cook didn't change much. And Scott said they have another young future star, perhaps in rising freshman Bristol Kersh.
Scott said the first priority was the group getting used to her style. Challenging her young group was also high on the list.
“I’m probably a little more vocal than Coach Justice, so I’m sure that took some getting used to for them,” Scott said. “I wanted to get them out of their comfort zones.”
Change was ever-present for her group throughout the summer, with several players playing multiple sports. Scott said it was a positive aspect overall and could help to shape the season.
“Every game, we had a different core of players because of the commitments of the girls playing multiple sports,” Scott said. “I think that has worked to our advantage because we got to see a lot of girls in a lot of different roles. Getting them out of their comfort zones was huge.
“Probably the biggest thing I found out is that this is going to be a tough group. They battled some really, really good teams and did well. I love the fight they showed -- and they showed a lot of talent out there as well. I’m excited about the season.”
