Last year’s misfortune is this season’s depth at RHS
Ruston High girls basketball will open the 2023-24 season with a healthier roster and stronger depth beginning Monday. Photo courtesy of Meredith Graf
It’s no secret the Ruston girls basketball team had to face the biggest bite the injury bug could give out last season.
By the heart of district play, the Lady Bearcats were down three starters to torn ACLs, and the replacements who followed had limited to no live varsity experience. Ruston finished the season 14-14 overall, a reflection of just needing to get through a season where the punches just seemed to keep coming.
But now, with sixthyear head coach Meredith Graf knocking on all the wood she can find, the Lady Bearcats are ready to begin the 2023- 24 season with fresh health and improved depth to set up for another competitive winter on the hardwood.
“I feel like every year you’re trying to figure out your new puzzle and you usually don’t get it all figured out until about December,” Graf said. “With us this year, as far as varsity, we have a good variety of ages and specific roles being filled. For me, it’s going to be about finding the combinations of people that go together well because our depth is something that’s a blessing this year.
“I feel, in time, everyone will be able to contribute in certain ways, it just may take some time for people to get their feet wet,” she continued. “From a position standpoint, we have a lot of things checked off. Our athleticism, our speed, pretty much our ability to score is there which is always fun for fans.”
It’s a healthy mix of proven returners and intriguing underclassmen that has Graf optimistic for what her team can look like this season, headlined by District 2-5A MVP Jaliyah McWain.
McWain, a senior, took a leap forward last season at point guard by leading the team in just about every category worth tracking, averaging 16.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 3.9 steals for the seasons. In district play she was even better, averaging 19.6 points per game and 7.9 rebounds.
According to Graf, McWain will be asked to do more creating than scoring. The return of regular contributors A’Nyia Moore, Zaccheya Jackson and Kiersynce McNeal from their injuries will give the offense more options to lean on rather than McWain flying up and down the floor every possession like last season.
“Jaliyah has proven herself and what she’s capable of doing, not just last year, but every year she’s been here,” Graf said. “To me, we were used to being out of sorts at times last year and having some people out that can score and that’s something that I’ve seen with her this preseason is she’s done a really good job of looking to find other people.
“Yes, she can create on her own and score and get to the rack, but I feel like she’s done a good job of looking to drive to create for others,” Graf added. “We’ve got some shooters this year that I feel like have proven so far, they can knock down a three and that’s huge for us to have that threat. And when you have someone that can create for others, it opens the door for everything else to flow.”
Before Moore and Jackson went down 12 games into the season, Moore was the second leading scorer on the team, and Jackson was the second-leading rebounder. Twelve games after that, McNeal’s season came to an end as she was averaging 7.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.8 steals.
When the team was left to move forward, Ella Kate Jones stepped up as a starter and filled in admirably as a sophomore. When she saw time, Jones averaged 3.5 points and 4 rebounds in her limited action, including 4 points and 5 rebounds in district. Graf expects more from Jones in her junior season as a scorer and energetic floor general.
While the familiar names take up most of the oxygen, don’t be surprised to see freshmen Goia Tatum, Bailey Harrison, and Angelica Green, along with sophomores Courtney Harris and Journi Douglas, vie for time on the floor.
Each has impressed with raw athletic traits in preseason workouts, but Graf said it will take time for them all to be trusted with large amounts of minutes from the jump.
“This group, as people, I’ve never enjoyed a group more than I have with them. They are wonderful,” she said. “ They know when to play and when to not. They don’t cross lines and they really are wonderful. It makes my job so much more fun whenever I can trust them to do the right things, act right. I’m really lucky. Of course, we have our bad days but they’re great kids and they have wonderful chemistry. It’s going to be a process, like every year, and we sometimes think we have all the answers to the puzzle and we don’t yet. But I like what we have.”
The Lady Bearcats open the season Monday at 6 p.m. at Scotty Robertson Memorial Gym against Benton. All home games will be at Memorial Gym on the campus of Louisiana Tech this season.
