This season the Wetumpka girls basketball team will be a force to reckon with. Despite being the reigning Class 6A Area 4 champions, the Indians still have something to prove. With coach Harriet Winchester behind them, the odds of another successful season are favorable.
According to Winchester, “They’re putting everything together.”
Now in her fourth season at Wetumpka, Winchester has a system developed. At the play dates this offseason, they’re showing that off.
“(Their) aggressiveness, instead of waiting on the three point shot, they actually drew the ball,” Winchester said. “We made some shots and we’ve defensively improved as well. The press is good, half-court defense is pretty good.”
With the return of the so-called big three this season — sophomores Aaliyah Humphrey and Logan Banks, with freshman Mya Richardson — the Indians are poised to be a threat on both sides of the floor for the next few years at least.
Ana Sofia Meyer / TPI Freshman Wetumpka guard pulls up from the elbow against Holtville at a play date.
Although there are months before the start of the basketball season, Winchester is confident that the team will come together and be stronger, faster, better than ever. The time between now and then will be spent conditioning, building team chemistry, working out the kinks of the offense and especially learning how to crash the boards every possession.
“(Right now) when somebody shoots, everybody doesn’t go get it,” Winchester said. “It’s like they’re watching a movie.”
As soon as those wrinkles get ironed out, this team will take their area by storm yet again.
“In the humblest way,” Winchester said. “Everybody can ball — everybody. Once we put it together, we’re going to be a force.”
