Pueblo South girls basketball coach Shannan Lane knows how to win games.
In her ninth year as the girls basketball coach at Pueblo South, Shannan Lane has made a habit of winning. She has averaged 21 wins per season in that span, won the 2013 Class 4A state championship and has the Colts in the title conversation seemingly every year.
This season, Pueblo South shot out of the gate to a 7-1 record that includes banner victories over Air Academy, No. 3 Valor Christian and two top-tier out-of-state squads at the Florida Disney Classic last week. The Colts returned every starter from last season’s Sweet 16 appearance and look poised to make a run at the program’s sixth state championship come March.
Denver Post preps editor Kyle Newman caught up with Lane to discuss her team’s prospects.
Q: You’ve had a couple of nice wins instate to open the season, plus a strong performance at the tournament in Florida. How are you feeling about your team?
A: We’re coming along. All of this competition before Christmas break is experience that we need, and playing the toughest schedule we could is going to pay off in the long run. We’re very fortunate that we’ve got wins in our column — I came into this season wondering if we were going to have any before Christmas (laughs) — so it’s nice to go into the break with wins and experience.
Q: To what do you credit the continued success of the program?
A: I’ve been blessed with girls who come in and already know how to work hard. We have a culture around here at South that we’ve set, because for years South has always been known to be in the mix. That’s why to us, getting out in the Sweet 16 last year — even with starting two freshmen — is just not a successful season. We’ve always had that pressure on the program, and I think when girls come in, they understand the system and they understand what they’re getting into. But again, it just comes down to being blessed with girls who love basketball and continue to add to the winning climate here.
Q: After returning your entire starting lineup from last winter, have you seen growth in your players?
A: I have, but I definitely see some of the same mistakes, too (laughs). I get on them in practice for that, but I think their maturity has grown a lot. Last year, we were happy to stay in games against top teams and if we had a chance to win at the end, but this year that mind-set has changed to one of ‘We will win.’ You can sense that, and the girls played a lot of fall ball together. They lost a lot of games against Grandview and a bunch of other top 5A teams — so I think that’s helped them as well.
Q: With junior Maya Austin, sophomore Gabi Lucero, sophomore Andrea Nelson and senior Hannah Kochen all averaging double digits offensively — and with the return of senior post Maddie Leigh from a blood clot — what can be said about this group’s title prospects?
A: They’re understanding their roles a little bit better than last year, and they understand me — the sophomores aren’t so scared of me anymore (laughs). So that confidence is definitely there, but I don’t really want to be playing our best ball now. I’m glad we’re getting the wins that we’re getting, but I’d rather get the wins in March — those are the ones that count.
Sometimes I’m really negative on the little things, but they have to know that’s how we’re going to grow, because we can’t stay stagnant. There’s too many teams in 4A right now that are all (title-worthy) — there’s not one powerhouse team that’s blowing everybody else out. Valor’s in that mix, Air Academy’s in that mix, Holy Family’s in that mix, Windsor’s in that mix … 4A is wide open, so it’s going to be a lot of luck in the end as to who’s playing their best ball.
Q: Intangible-wise, what’s the key for your team down the stretch?
A: It comes down to the fundamental intangibles. Being mentally tough; learning how to stop momentum swings; confidence and leadership; all of those things that coaches have to develop in their teams. And I can tell you right now, there’s still a lot of things I need to do with this team in those regards. And with them still being so young — we start two sophomores — that mental piece is so key, and I’ve seen them grow a lot, but there’s still so much work to do.