MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Another year, another shot at the state title. Except this time around for University girls’ basketball coach David Price, it’s without three major playmakers — Jaimalyn Ash, Zoe Murphy and Selena Jenkins — who were key in making the Class AAA finals last season.
He believes he’s in good hands, though.
“Short term, we have to get in shape and get used to playing with the kids we lost,” Price said. “And we have to get the chemistry again that will make us better and get us back to Charleston. We lost our point guard and a couple of shooting guards, so we’re looking to fill that, but in the summer and fall, I saw our team playing some good basketball. We’ll build off that.”
Two key returners who will lock down the court for the Hawks are seniors Ashten Boggs and Mallory Napolillo. Both are coming off a successful volleyball season that tested their leadership mettle. Now, they just have to do it again from the one-guard and center positions.
Boggs and Napolillo “were big pieces last year, but we have five seniors that are going to help,” Price said. “Lauren Dean is going to come into the two-guard and Ashten is running point. It’s been a really good transition and I think the girls are ready to take on their responsibilities. It’s just a matter of developing that chemistry.”
Boggs knows she’s in filling a big role this year, but she isn’t letting it get to her, even if she isn’t a “true point guard.”
“I’m not scared, I ran a lot of point guard in travel because I like being in control of the frontcourt,” Boggs said. “I like controlling the speed of the game, too. I feel like our whole team likes speed, and [the guards last year] slowed us down and we didn’t want that. With me being point guard, it’s going to hurt us being versatile down low, but it will benefit us being a faster team.”
As for some downsides the seniors are seeing this early on, Boggs noted that even though the underclassmen are impressive, they still have to learn to get rid of the ball.
“We have a good group of freshmen that are going to help us shooting wise, but we have to teach them they can’t dribble the whole time,” Boggs said. “They’re quick, athletic, they listen well, so I don’t have a doubt in mind they won’t help us. We just have to make sure they keep their heads on straight and don’t let the nerves get to them.”
“I think the loss of our shooting guard is the biggest thing coming into this year,” Napolillo added. “We need someone to step up into that position.”
Just making the final cuts, Price is excited about his newcomers and returners alike. As of now, his starting five are Boggs (PG), Dean (SG), Isabella Bowers (G), Abbie Coen (F) and Napolillo (C), but being early in the preseason that could change. Four of the five — Boggs, Dean, Coen, and Napolillo — are certain to start the year.
“I’m excited for the year,” Price said. “Who can say where we’ll go, there’s a lot of basketball to play between now and [states].”
Some other points to keep in mind heading into the 2019-20 season:
You don’t always have to be tall to ball
The three guards the Hawks lost averaged 5-foot-5, and although girls’ basketball typically highlights smaller, faster players, that’s all UHS has to work with this year. What’s interesting is that the Hawks are considered one of the taller teams in the state.
The tallest girls on the team are Boggs, Coen and Napolillo, who are all listed at 5-foot-11, but it’s not something they’re worried about. It affects Napolillo and the forwards the most in the paint and in the low posts, but Napolillo sees a way around the rare mismatch.
“It’s not about height [in the paint], it’s just about being versatile and more athletic than the other person,” Napolillo said. “Sometimes it helps. I feel like I’m quicker than a normal center but in other ways, you have to be smart about what you’re going to do with the ball.”
No shot clock, once again
It’s not a shock that West Virginia hasn’t adopted a shot clock rule yet. It seems the WVSSAC has no interest at the moment, even if it’s been shown to help a high schooler’s college stock.
And with that hole comes a legitimate, even oftentimes annoying, game plan: Hold the ball as long as possible to force fouls and eat clock.
“In some ways, the [lack of a shot clock] is an advantage, but if other teams [eat up time] to us it’s obviously not,” Napolillo said.
It makes sense if you’re far ahead of an opponent and just want to close out the game, but it’s another when the only tactic coached is to hold the ball. University isn’t that team, thankfully, even if they do hold it after establishing a solid lead.
“We’re more of a fast-layup, play off the fast break offense. We like the up-tempo beat the whole time,” Boggs said.
Getting back to the title game
It’s incredibly early to predict if the Hawks will get back to the state tournament or the title game, but what the girls know they can do early on is teach patience, set the example and help meld the team. Those two factors are key to Boggs and Napolillo
“Playing as a team the whole game [is going to get us back to the finals],” Boggs said. “If we go hard, [the underclassmen] will go hard.”
“Putting in the most amount of effort we all can put in,” Napolillo added. “I feel like that’s something we’re struggling with this early on — lack of effort and wanting to be here.”
