GORDON LEE LADY TROJANS
During the past several years, the Gordon Lee Lady Trojans have been short-handed when it comes to varsity game experience, but that won’t necessarily be the case for the 2020-2021 season.
For the first time in about three seasons, the Navyand-White will have a nice compliment of older players, who will be looking to lead the younger ones as Gordon Lee gets set for another tough season in Region 6-A.
“We’ve got three seniors coming back that played last year and some of the younger girls have had to play a lot the last couple of years,” said head coach Kevin McElhaney. “Now we have six upperclassmen between the seniors and juniors, so that helps. The last time we had this many we were able to do some good things (including a road playoff win), so having an older group really helps.”
However, experience alone won’t get the job done and, like a lot of teams, Gordon Lee began preseason practice behind the 8-ball as COVID-19 basically shuddered any type of summer practices and games. It’s not the greatest of situations for a team looking to replace a handful of key players, including a four-year starter and All-Region performer in Gracie O’Neal.
“I hope the strength (of our team) ends up being a sense of urgency in that every game matters and that everything that they’re doing matters,” McElhaney explained. “With the way the COVID situation is, we could be playing three games one week, no games the next week and five the following week.
“This team will need to be very flexible, adjust to the situations and understand the urgency of each game. They need to play each game like it’s the last one they’re ever going to get. That’s where I’m going to
look for strength from this group, especially the older ones being leaders and approaching it that way.”
The three seniors have been a part of the program their entire high school careers.
Post player Addison Sturdivant is an exceptional athlete that can rebound and defend and plays the game with what McElhaney calls “reckless abandon”. She also has incredible leaping ability and will be a player Gordon Lee will depend on for both scoring and rebounding.
In the backcourt is combo guard Ashlyn Schmidt,
whom McElhaney says is an extremely coachable player and is like an additional coach on the floor with her knowledge of offensive and defensive schemes.
Sidney Gasaway is back for one final season and will give Gordon Lee a versatile player that can play on the wing or in the post. Called a fierce competitor who plays with intensity by her coach, Gasaway knows how to score and is one of the team’s better outside shooters.
Emma McGraw has started virtually every game since her freshman year. The ju
nior combo guard is another leader for the team and works hard on her game year round. At 9.8 points per game, McGraw is the team’s top returning scorer and will be asked to pick up even more of the scoring load this season. Another junior is shooting guard Emma Langston, who is returning to the court after not playing last season. Now standing 5-foot-11, Langston has grown physically stronger and will pose match-up problems for most defenders guarding her.
McElhaney added that the Lady Trojans are also thrilled to have the final junior, Macy Sharp, back in a Gordon Lee uniform. Sharp is a solid player that can play the three, four, or possibly the five and brings an incredible toughness to the team. Sharp, who has battled cancer for the past year, has recovered and is anxious to get back on the court with her teammates.
“She’s a good player,” the coach added. “She’s going to be able to give us points, go get rebounds and defend bigger players. All of those things being said, just the enjoyment of being able to see her back on the court and smiling is great. She was part of our team last year and she’s really battled and showed her toughness. She loves (the game) and just having Macy back out there is a big, big plus for us.”
A huge sophomore class includes Emma Phillips, who played significant minutes in the post as a freshman, but can also run the team at point guard and knows how to put up points. Riley Shirley will give the Lady Trojans an aggressive defender and another player that can put up points in a hurry.
In the post, Kaitlyn Wagoner, Sara Beaty and Ava Brown all have good size and the ability play physical basketball in the paint. Guard Sophia McDonald and wing/post Meredith Jones are two extremely hard workers on the floor, while shooting guard Sienna Norton can provide instant offense whenever she’s in the game.
The final two players on the roster are freshmen. Dallas Wagoner is another post player who plays extremely hard and doesn’t mind doing the little things it takes to win ball games, while Abigail Ashley can play in the post or on the perimeter at shooting guard. A smart player, Ashley has solid potential as a shooter and scorer.
Chris King will also be back for another season as the team’s assistant coach.
Although more than half of the team are still underclassmen, 10 of the 16 players on the roster recently played for state championships in either softball or volleyball, a fact that isn’t lost on their coach, himself an assistant with the softball program.
“These girls understand winning, but everything has to be a priority,” he said. “Just like we put a high priority on softball and volleyball, that same mentality has to carry over into basketball.
“You hope that same mentality feeds in. They know how to win, it’s just putting themselves in that position (to win) and I hope we can do that.”
He added that one of the biggest keys will be simply staying healthy and available in the face of the virus.
“This season is a little different than others,” he said. “Normally, you’re battling flu and things like that. Now all of a sudden, you’re looking at having a lineup that could be in flux the whole season and not because everyone is sick, but also because of contact tracing and you can’t risk it.
“It’s one of those things as coaches where we’re going to have to be very, very flexible, but I also think the key is these girls doing the things that we’re asking, as far as the protocols go, and being smart. There’s a certain amount of luck that’s going to go into it as well.”