Monday, November 9, 2009
SPRINGDALE — Scotty Person is ready to take Springdale’s basketball program to the next level.
Last season was a big step in the right direction for the Lady Bulldogs, who won 14 games and made the Class 7A State Tournament for the first time under Person’s guidance.
However, despite Springdale’s recent success, Person said he’s anxious to see what kind of corners the program can turn this season.
“I really feel good about our potential and what this group of girls can accomplish,” Person said. “This is a group that’s coming off a state tournament, and they know what that feels like. And I can promise you they want to do that again. We just need to make the necessary steps early on so that we can have a great year.”
It hasn’t been easy for Person, who took over Springdale’s basketball team following the school split with Springdale Har-Ber in 2005. But every year since, Person said the Lady Red’Dogs have made small positive steps to get where they are today.
“When I took this team over, we had only three players,” Person said. “We’ve come a long way and I’m really proud of that. Last year was a huge statement for this team, and I think we can do a lot more of that this year.”
Springdale returns eight players who saw significant playing time from last year’s team, including junior Tiffany Wiseley, who led Springdale with 15 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
Person said he’s also excited about the potential of junior post Jasmine Gilyard, senior forward Alex Light, senior guard Lea Coulter and senior guard Linsey Wilkinson.
The biggest strength for this year’s team will be the experience the players gained last season and the large number of returning players, Person said.
However, one of the biggest obstacles — something that’s an obstacle every season — is getting the players to believe they can compete with the elite teams in the 7A-West.
“That’s always a challenge, but I know we’re getting past that,” Person said. “There were times last year when we were hanging in there with a Rogers High or a (Fort Smith) Northside late in the game, and our players were looking at the scoreboard wondering what was going on.
“If we can just play our fundamental game and limit our mistakes, we’ll win games this season because we have the talent. But it’s going to take some success early on, and if we can do that, then I think we’ll have another great year.”