Veteran coach says experience is key for Lady Cyclones
Experience will be the key for this year’s Lady Cyclones, veteran coach Sherry White said. In her 37th year as a coach and her fourth in Russellville, she is coming off a 16-14 season with the squad. She will be assisted again this year by her son, Chase White. “We are 5A West this year, coming from the 6A West Conference,” Sherry White said. “I think it’s OK; I’m always up for change. I like to play different people every year.” Key starters will be seniors Zee McCallister, 5-7; Anna Myers, 6-0; and Makayla Ealy, 5-11; and junior Cara Davis, 5-3. McCallister has “tremendously improved her game,” Coach White said. “She has put in a lot of extra time, and it is showing — it’s showing up in practice, at both ends of the floor.” White said Myers also put in extra time this summer to work on her skills, and she and McCallister played Amateur Athletic Union ball. The coach considers both players as college prospects. “Ealy did not start for us all the time last year, but she may have had a few starts,” White said. “She looks to be our second post girl, partnering up with Anna. [Ealy has] a goodsize body, and she is making good moves around the basket. I’ve got high expectations for her. She’s a good rebounder, good defender, smart player.” Davis, 5-3, is “very small,” but the coach said good things come in small packages. “She can be fierce; she’s got some quickness, just a lot of determination,” White said. “When she decides to do something, she gets it done.” “We are a more experienced team, so I expect to exceed our success from last year. We’re starting a lot of seniors. We have eight seniors, and all of them are capable of playing. They’ll all get some good playing time … but we also have some juniors and sophomores who may step up and help this season. This team knows their roles and are improving every day.” White has a wealth of experience that should come in handy. She was a three-time all-American at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville and the only four-time allconference selection in the history of Golden Suns basketball. Her career includes five state championships and four runners-up, including three years ago in Russellville. “We’re in a different conference. We dropped to 5A; we’ve got a few new teams,” White said, including Greenbrier, Little Rock Christian and Vilonia. “Vilonia is really strong this year; they’re experienced from top to bottom. Every team on our schedule will be tough. Vilonia seems to be the team that’s loaded, though, this year.” Not that she’s afraid of the Faulkner County team. “We can compete this year, but it’s just going to depend on us,” White said. “We’re capable of playing with anybody in this conference. “I feel real good about this year’s team; they’ve got a lot of what it takes. We’re working on just leadership.”