NLR junior has pep, experience
This season has been one like none other for North Little Rock Coach Daryl Fimple.
Never in his 15 years as head coach of the Lady Charging Wildcats has he dealt with a team as young as his current crop. North Little Rock has just one senior on its roster to go along with three freshmen, six sophomores and three juniors. Yet, Fimple finds himself experiencing something not even he figured he would, considering the circumstances.
“I’m having fun,” he said. “People are amazed when I tell them that. These girls are young, and it kind of keeps me young. I haven’t been able to have the Fimple explosions on the sidelines like I’ve had in the past because they can’t handle that.
“They’ve taught me a lot of patience, but they’ve given me a lot of gray hairs, too.”
North Little Rock has experienced growing pains throughout the season, from starting out the year 1-4 to dropping three 6A-Central Conference games in a row, which had never happened previously under Fimple’s watch. But the Lady Charging Wildcats (14-12, 7-5) are picking up steam at just the right time, and it’s one of their veteran players leading the surge.
“Arin [Freeman] is one of the only two players on the team that played significantly on the varsity last year,” said Fimple, whose team had won four in a row before Friday’s loss at top-ranked No. 1 Fort Smith Northside. “She’s the leader, but she struggled being in that role at first. She’s so competitive and such a perfectionist that it’s hard for her sometimes to move on to the next play.
“But she’s starting to learn how to do that, and you can see it coming now. We have something we call touches when you have team highfives, slaps here and there after a point, some contact, things like that. We keep up with those throughout the games, and you can tell how involved Arin’s been lately because her touches have been off the chart.”
Freeman, a 5-7 guard, was the team’s top bench player a year ago as a sophomore but was inserted into the starting lineup late for a North Little Rock squad that lost in the quarterfinals of the Class 6A state tournament. The junior revealed that her liveliness would sometimes give the team a lift, which allowed her to receive more and more playing time.
“I was just one of those energy kids that would come in and give the team whatever was needed,” she said. “This year, my role has changed dramatically. I’m actually still adjusting to it, but I want to continue to improve on it and fully embrace it instead of running from it.
“I don’t want to try to always do too much. I want to do my part to help us win.”
Fimple said he’s had to coach Freeman a bit differently this year because of the amount of pressure she puts on herself.
“It was kind of a trust thing, too, with her,” he said. “Trusting a 14-year-old with the basketball is a lot different than trusting a 16-year-old because they’ve been through it. Arin has been through it. I would tell her, ‘if you struggle, they’re all gonna struggle.’
“These things sometimes happen when you’re a leader. She sees that now, and she’s adjusted to it.”
Not only has Freeman adapted to being at the forefront, but she’s also gotten acclimated to being the team’s most versatile player. She mentioned that whenever she wasn’t traveling with her AAU team in the summer, she’d be in the gym working if it was open. She’s averaging 12.2 points and 4.6 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 2.3 assists while routinely guarding the opposing team’s best player.
But Freeman isn’t necessarily satisfied with her current all-around game.
“I think I could’ve better game-planned as far as me being more vocal,” she said. “I’m trying to get better every day. Leadership is a dual role with not only your work ethic but also the things you say.”
The Lady Charging Wildcats have locked down a berth in the postseason, and with two games to go, can realistically land anywhere from the No. 2 seed to the No. 5 seed from the 6A-Central. Freeman believes North Little Rock has what it takes to do big things in the state tournament regardless of what seed it gets.
“With the momentum that we have right now, I’m approaching the mindset of why not us,” she said. “You’ve really just got to be a dog out there, compete to the end, don’t give up and give your all not only for your coaches but for your teammates. I’ve got the mentality to just do what you need to do to help your team win.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean scoring the most points. Just do what you have to do.”