Coming off last year’s 21-3 season that included a regional final appearance, the Hampton-Dumont-CAL girls basketball team has begun preseason practices. Having graduated four multi-year starters and another key rotation player, this year’s team will have much less varsity experience. Head Coach Miranda Stafford says those returning have seen what it takes to play at a high level, and they’ll need to buy in.
“It just doesn’t happen, it just isn’t handed to you, it just doesn’t happen every year and it’s not easy to get there,” Stafford says. “So what are the things that we have to accomplish to be able to build to get to where that group last year got to? And we have some girls coming back that were a part of that, that know the hard work and know what it takes to get to there. They have to lead some of those younger girls coming in and get them to buy into that process.”
MacKenzy Valley is the lone returning starter. Addison Aalbers and Madison Heilskov are back after coming off the bench as part of last year’s regular rotation. Last year’s team leaned heavily on three-point shooting and press defense, but Stafford says they’ll need to figure out what works best for this year’s personnel.
“We’ve got to find an offense that’s going to fit this clientele, see who’s going to step in to those starting roles. It could be mixed up, who’s going to fit. And right now we’re not even quite sure what we’re going to look like, as far as an offensive scheme and what we need to base that around. We’ve got to get in there and put our head down and get going and see what works best for this group of girls that we have.”
They’ll begin the season by hosting Aplington-Parkersburg on Monday, November 24.
