Lady Patriots looks to turn the page under new head coach Jeff Daniel
For the Enquirer
Coach: Jeff Daniel (first season) First game: Nov. 7 at Fairview Marquee home games (non-area): Nov. 14 vs. Hartselle, Dec. 6 vs. Arab, Dec. 19 vs. Priceville Area: Class 5A Area 16 Area opponents: Ardmore, East Limestone, Priceville 2023-24 record/finish: 12-17; Class 5A Area Semifinals Roster: Seniors Laney Dothard, Sarah Peterson, Abby Summerford, Juniors Emma Bittle, Maddie Brooks, Madisyn Freeman, Ava Walls, Kassidy Whisenant, Sophomores Habbah Morrison, Lauryn Owen, Audrey Parker, Keylyn Stapler, Freshman Andee Emerson, Khloe Grandstaff Returning starters: 3 – Madisyn Freeman, Ava Walls, Keylyn Stapler Storylines: Brewer is heading into the first season of new head coach Jeff Daniel, who joins the Lady Patriots after four years as an assistant at Fairview. He is replacing Colton Smith, who resigned after two seasons. Freeman, Stapler and Walls return as starters, while Dothard, Grandstaff, Morrison, Whisenant and Summerford return as varsity players.
Who do you expect to have a big year? Madisyn Free-man and Khloe Grandstaff are both high-impact players. They represent what we are trying to establish with our culture. High-intensity defense, high basketball IQ, and the ability to push the floor are just a few of the characteristics they have shown so far.
Quoting coach: “These girls have worked really hard in the off-season. We have focused on conditioning and building confidence. It has been more about building a culture than a team for the season. This is an excellent group of girls, and I believe we are taking steps in the right direction.
What do the Lady Patriots need to do to be successful? Obviously, we need to win, but deeper than that is com-plete buy-in to what we are establishing with our culture. My top three priorities are high energy – intense defense, pushing the ball up the floor, and shooting a high percentage from the FT line. If we can do that, we will be successful.
Area outlook: “This is a tough area with Priceville moving up in classification, and the staples of Ardmore and East Limestone also present a challenge. I greatly respect Coach Childress at Priceville, especially his teams’ appearances in the last two final fours. They are the team to beat in Area 16. They are loaded with talent, but I believe we also have talent here. We’ll just have to see how it all plays out.”
