Kannapolis Girls Basketball Preview

BY MIKE LONDON
SALISBURY POST

This year"s Kannapolis girls basketball team will have little height and little experience, but even less fear.

New coach Doug Wilson has arrived from Kannapolis Middle School to guide a once-proud program that dominated in the early 1980s, but has recently sunk to the depths.

A year ago, the Wonders didn"t even get to play in the SPC tournament, which they hosted. Eight teams in the nine-team league made the field. The Wonders were the odd girls out.

But Wilson is confident he can turn things around at historic Bullock Gymnasium. And quickly.

His optimism is based on one of the finest freshmen classes ever in this area. Wilson coached Kannapolis" current ninth-graders in the seventh and eighth grades. During that span they went 25-1, winning two PMSC regular season crowns and one tournament title.

Wilson"s girls are not normal freshmen. The best of them have played big-time AAU ball for four years, and won"t be in awe of anyone in the SPC.

"The key is how quickly our freshmen can make the transition to varsity ball," Wilson said. "The other key is how well can we mesh. We have seniors who don"t know what it"s like to win, and freshmen who have no idea what it"s like to lose. And we have no experience in between."

Wilson will have four seniors (all captains), one junior, two sophomores and four freshmen on the squad. No one is over 5-10, but Wilson isn"t concerned.

"Six years ago I was coaching a team of 9 and 10-year-olds, and only two of them had ever played before," Wilson said. "After that, this won"t be hard."

The best of Wilson"s returning players is senior waterbug Dennisa Herndon, who can light up the night with 3s when she is on. Herndon is tiny, but Wilson believes he can find her open looks in his motion offense.

"Dennisa is extra-quick," said Wilson. "She"s our smallest player, but she"s also the toughest."

"I"m excited," added Herndon. "We"re going to be better. We"re quick."

Wilson"s team will have tremendous athleticism on the perimeter with Herndon teaming in the starting lineup with two fabulous freshmen.

First, there"s 5-foot-7 Elise Stanback, niece of former Wonder football great, Haskel Stanback.

"The best athlete in this school is Nick Maddox," said Wilson. "The second best is Elise. She can broad jump further than any girl ever has here. Her goal is to dunk the ball as a senior. And she can fly."

Stanback also brings basketball skills to the table, and won"t back down from older players with reputations. Think of the powerfully-built Stanback as a shorter version of South Rowan superstar Janetta Heggins.

Kesha Johnson, who will play the point, is regarded just as highly as her classmate. An awesome athlete, she"s blessed with spectacular speed, shooting range and competitive fire.

"I"ve watched her grow up," said Wilson. "I know what she can do. I have no fear of playing a freshman at the point. People who aren"t expecting much from Kesha are going to be caught off guard."

Rounding out Wilson"s starting lineup will be two seniors Ð veteran Iris Hunter, and Alex Elliott, who didn"t play last year.

"Hunter will have to be a Larry-Johnson type for us," said Wilson, "because we won"t start a center. Iris has to rebound without getting in foul trouble.

"Elliott is a pure athlete. She"s good at everything. She"s a great volleyball player, great soccer player, great drum major, and the student body president."

Wilson hopes that Elliott"s leadership skills will help bring Wonders Ð young and old Ð together.

Wilson"s bench is unproven, but talented.

"After the first five, we"ll use Bailey Gainey (a guard) or Holly Morgan (a center)," said Wilson. "It will depend on the matchups."

Gainey, a diminutive senior, hasn"t played for two years, but should help. She"s a stellar athlete too, recently finishing third in the state in tennis singles.

"Bailey"s quick and can shoot the 3," said Wilson. "I like her attitude. She knows she"ll play behind the freshmen, but that"s OK with her.

"Holly plays within herself and can rebound."

Another freshman, Joanna Hutchinson, figures in the mix at guard. She"s smart and is an outstanding long-range shooter. Imagine a younger version of South star Abby Cress.

"The best thing about Joanna is that she"s at her best when the game is on the line," said Wilson.

Hutchinson bailed out Kannapolis in a PMSC tournament game last year by raining in five quick 3s.

She has star potential.

Rounding out the squad are Nanci Horton, the only junior, freshman Alex "Cookie" Smith and soph April Moody.

"Horton brings us hustle, Moody"s a strong girl who can shoot, and Smith is a 5-10 shotblocker with a future," Wilson said.

Speaking of futures, the rest of Wilson"s star-studded freshmen class should give the Wonder jayvees their best team in some time. The program is making strides.

Wilson lists East, West and Concord as the teams to beat in the SPC, while viewing a winning season as a realistic goal for his squad. Coming off a year in which the Wonders finished in the SPC cellar that might sound like cockeyed optimism, but Wilson has the athletes to make things happen Ð especially on defense, where his team"s quickness could wreak havoc.

"We don"t have size, but we should have as much speed as anyone in the league," he said. "I believe in these girls and I like our chemistry. Most nights, we"ll be in the ballgame."

Hunter agreed with that assessment.

"These freshmen aren"t freshmen," she said. "They pick things up quicker than I did."

And because of those freshmen, the future is now for Kannapolis girls basketball.