When the Iowa Falls-Alden girls basketball team begins preseason practices next week, it’ll be a relatively new-look roster. Three starters and the bulk of the scoring graduated from last year’s team, leaving some opportunities open.
“It’s going to be a younger team and an inexperienced team, but it’s a group that we feel like can get a whole lot better by February,” Head Coach Michael Collison says. “The nice part is we only are going to have one senior this year. And most of the team that we’re going to have out there on Tuesdays and Fridays is going to be coming back the following year. So we feel like our name of the game for us is can we develop good habits and try to be playing our best basketball in February.”
They’ll have some pieces to build around. Notably, leading scorer Elody England is back for her sophomore season. A second team all-conference guard, she led the team with 12 points and six rebounds per game on 38 percent shooting. Junior guard Isabelle Janssen is the only other returning player with significant varsity minutes, having started 16 of the 23 games.
Collison says getting game experience under the belts of varsity newcomers will be a key aspect of development.
“Overall, it’s gonna be that experience piece, know, being in those games, those moments when you’re feeling ball pressure, having the ability to handle that. And I think when you’re a senior, the game slows down for you a little bit, and we’re gonna have a whole lot of girls out there who just don’t have that yet. They will get there, but it will take a little bit of time.”
They’ll begin the season Monday, November 24 at West Marshall.
Michael Collison interview:
