Not to be outdone by Street & Smith, sorsn.com has prepared our basketball season preview.
With the football team diving deep into the playoffs and with nearly every member of the basketball team also on the football team, it’s still undetermined when the basketball season will officially begin for Midway. The season was scheduled to begin this Friday; however, it has been postponed due to the playoffs. Nevertheless, both the boys and girls programs are working to give the Midway Maniacs something to cheer about.
The Gals
Amy Woody takes over as head coach for the Lady Waves and is tasked with returning excitement back into the program.
The Lady Waves have 2 seniors returning, Lacey Davidson and Amanda Soard. Though she can’t ride the big rides at Dollywood (height restriction), Lacey is a solid post player who had been dedicated to rebuilding the program. She has great hands and knows the art of rebounding. Amanda is one of the better shooters on the team and can knock it down from behind the arc. And as she has in years past, Amanda will play many different positions for the Lady Waves.
Two juniors accompany the seniors as the remaining upperclassmen on the team. Kathlyn Beard is the fastest girl on the team…in fact, she’s almost too fast. Once her ball control can match her speed, she will be nearly unstoppable in the open floor. Angel Edgemon is coming off a knee injury and has been undergoing physical therapy in hopes of returning strong to a team that needs her out on the floor.
Four sophomores make up the bulk of the team. You will be hearing a lot about Haley Parks as this young athlete can light up the scoreboard. Michele Walden brings much needed ball handling skills to a team that has been plagued by turnovers in recent years. Chelsea Phillips and Haley Ladd round out the sophomore class. They are both expected to step up this year and wear many hats.
And to complete the team, two freshmen bring needed size to the team. Audrey Bullard comes to MHS from Cherokee. Though she didn’t play junior high ball, the coaches are seeing some good things from her in practice. The tallest girl on the team is Matty Jackson. She too didn’t play junior high ball, but is expected to progress quickly with dedicated practice and experience.
We asked Coach Woody about the team’s recent activities and the new coaching staff.
We have been doing much conditioning the past month and a half. It has been fun watching the girls’ running time get better. We are working on over all health and conditioning. It has not been easy but some have mastered Bacon Ridge in 33 minutes. Our best time mile as a team is a little under 12 minutes (which I might add they hate). The ridges at the Woody household have also been apart of Lady Waves conditioning.
We also had a successful car wash on a beautiful day in October at Browder’s Ace Hardware in Kingston. They were awesome to let us have it there and we had a good turn out. Thanks for all the much needed support. However, some girls had to run extra for soaking their coaches (not a good idea to drown the coaching staff) at the end of the day.
I have a very positive assistant coach that will be by my side this year. Alicia Laffoon comes from Meigs Middle. She played high school at Meigs County (Despite Coach Hayes’ efforts) where she went to the State Tournament all four years with 2 state championships under her belt. She then went on to play at Roane State. She has been around basketball all her life and was a head coach at Scott County for 3 years. She brings much experience to our team. I am thankful for that!! She and her husband Dave have 2 children: Kate 1 and Thomas 4.
October 29th, the team gathered at 12:01am as it was our first official day of practice. Midnight Madness Baby!!
We recently had a scrimmage with Scott County and walked away with a win. Though it was only a scrimmage, it was a great morale boosting win.
The Guys
You commonly hear the term “young team” used to refer to a team lacking in experience, but young has never been more accurate than this year as the Green Waves consist solely of Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors. That’s right; this could be the first time in history that Midway does not have any seniors on the team.
But don’t be alarmed because there is plenty of talent on this young team. Wakon Roberson and Zach Hall are two sophomores who can play above the rim. Quinton Pressley is a good ball handler and is capable of making things happen off of the dribble. Paul Hester saw playing time last year as a freshman and is a good size player who will be looked to for physical play on both sides of the ball.
Obviously with a young team, several freshmen will be required to step up and play well in addition to the sophomores. They got some needed experience back in the spring with many of the freshmen and sophomores competing on an AAU team.
Isaiah Ruffner will again join his dad on the sidelines as the best-dressed coaching combination looks to build the program on a talented, but youthful team. We asked Isaiah about the team. “We do have a young team again so leadership is always a concern. I don’t know that it’s a problem, but I’ve just never seen a team without any seniors.”
With the extended football post-season limiting the amount of basketball practice in addition to the probability of Quinton Pressley needing surgery on his wrist after football, it may be several weeks into the basketball season before we get a good look at the potential of this team. The first couple weeks could be rocky as it is a tough transition from the gridiron to the hardwood and several key factors could be whether or not Blasko brings his soft hands to the post position and if the Raven can handle the rock while in mach 3 speed.
Now in his 21st season as the head coach of the Green Waves, Darrell Ruffner is also tasked with returning excitement back into the program. But if there is anyone who can bring excitement and enthusiasm into a team, it is Coach Ruffner. Though he may stop short of painting his chest green, Coach Ruffner is an inspirational leader in the locker room and can excite a team with something as simple as a clap of the hands and a fist pump.
With the football team in the playoffs and two basketball programs on the rise, it’s a great time to be a Green Wave fan!