The Emporia High girls basketball team returns five of its top seven players off last year’s 14-8 squad, giving it all the makings of having a potential breakout season.
But how’s this for an infusion of talent: Emporia High coach Bill Nienstedt will get the full-time services of seven players off last year’s J.V. team that went 17-0.
The blend of the savvy veterans and the up-and-coming young guns has Nienstedt excited for what this season could hold, with one problem.
He’s having a hard time figuring out where to use all those players.
“We have a lot of kids here who play well together and really give us a nice core to work with,” Nienstedt said. “One of the things we’re having a hard time with as coaches is figuring out who goes where. Right now, I’d say there’s probably a dozen kids or so who are in the mix for playing time.”
For the EHS girls, who came tantalizingly close to making it to the State tournament last year, it all starts with the five returning players from last year’s squad.
Emporia has its top scorer back in senior Nichole Naab (11.6 points per game) and its top rebounder in junior Lexi Hileman (4.4 rpg). The Lady Spartans also welcome back their assists leader and top three-point shooter from a season ago in junior Alli Armitage (3.14 asp, 17 3-pointers), their top low-post threat in senior Sadie Webb and their super-sophomore Lindy Arndt, who averaged nearly 6 points and 3 rebounds per game last season as a freshman.
Early indications are that those five will make up the starting lineup when Emporia High opens its season Friday against Olathe North in the first round of the Paul Terry Classic at White Auditorium.
“You bring back five, and automatically, there’s some thought that that five is probably going to get a lot of time,” Nienstedt said.
But then there are those seven former J.V. players, all of whom are juniors this year. Their success last season cannot be overlooked, especially considering some of then also saw time on the varsity squad in limited action.
“We had a really strong J.V. team last year, and I’m sure that’ll help a lot this year,” Naab said. “Some of them will get a lot of playing time this year on varsity. It’ll help a lot.”
Hilary Heinrichs, Ashley Leihsing, Amber Miller and Rachelle VanGundy all played varsity minutes last season, with Heinrichs, Leihsing and VanGundy each recording at least one made basket.
But perhaps more than anything, the “newcomers” bring an attitude of winning to the varsity squad that Nienstedt said he hoped would trickle throughout the entire roster.
“Those are kids with great character. That’s one of the reasons they were undefeated last year,” Nienstedt said. “I think they do bring that attitude (of winning) ... because individual talent-wise, obviously they can play, but they’re not nearly as strong individually as they are collectively.”
The stockpile of talent has the Lady Spartans dreaming big this season after coming so close to making it to the State tournament last season.
After a thrilling come-from-behind victory at Bishop Carroll in the first round of Sub-State, the Lady Spartans lost by one point to No. 1-seeded Kapaun Mt. Carmel on Emporia’s home court with a trip to State on the line.
Nienstedt has repeatedly voiced his affinity for the way last year’s team played, saying that EHS overcame whatever physical limitations it faced against taller teams by out-working its opponents.
“It was one of the most fun teams I’ve ever coached,” Nienstedt told this year’s team at a recent practice.
With many of the crucial pieces back from last year’s team, plus the fact that Heinrichs, Miller, Leihsing and VanGundy all played on the highly successful EHS volleyball team this season, the Lady Spartans already have a chemistry on the court that most teams don’t have this early in the season, Webb said.
“I’ve noticed that we’re all really unselfish,” Webb said. “Sometimes, it takes a while for teams to be unselfish, but on offense right now, we’re sharing the ball really well. All of us want to do well.”
Added Naab: “I think we could be really good this year. I think we’re going to win a lot and we’re going to have a lot of fun. We have a lot of confidence. I’m really excited.”