Golden Tornadoes relying on youth

The Lawrence girls are attempting to revert from bad habits and tendencies of old. Following a shortened campaign, where they dropped all seven games, this season will be instrumental in generating a new culture and feeling behind the program. Jason Supple is preparing for his inaugural season as head coach and is excited about the task at hand.

While many of the returning players for the have some semblance of experience, 9 of the 11 girls are underclassmen, which may bode well for the hard-nosed, scrappy culture that Supple is attempting to instill into this program.

“I like the number of underclassmen that we have because the younger girls can get used to my system and then we can build upon that in future offseasons and stay acclimated to it,” Supple explained.

Returning junior guard Andie Adams will be the centerpiece of the offense in many respects, as she averaged 18.7 points per game last winter and will relied upon to replicate or improve that production. “She’s a great player; a lot of our offense is going to run through her,” Supple said.

Junior forward/center Daniella de la Cruz is a returning starter and will be looked upon to control the glass and be steady presence on both ends of the court.

Sophomore Kaitlyn Walsh, a returning guard, and returning senior forward Jayla Basnight will be starters and asked to make two-way impacts. Junior Ambrasia Frye and Skylar Frasier can either round out the starting five or provide a spark off the bench.

“We’re a developing team,” Supple said. “We didn’t win many games last year, but this a scrappy group for sure.

“I’m excited,” he added. “I’m not saying that we are going to shock the world or win a bunch of games but I’m very impressed with the girls’ work ethic and the way that they are buying in.”